Court Rules Tribe's Corporate Entity Doesn't Have Sovereign Immunity

A sharply divided New York Court of Appeals ruled that a golf course owned by the Seneca Indian Nation doesn't have sovereign immunity shielding it from lawsuits, according to an AP report. The builder of the golf course, which is close to Niagara Falls, has sued over money it says it is owed on the course's construction contract. The majority held that the corporate entity, a wholly owned subsidiary that owns the golf course, is not immune from suit because it can't bind tribal money and the Senecas don't own the golf course land. The dissent said there was no rational basis to distinguish the subsidiary from its corporate parent, which is an arm of the tribe and does have immunity.