Scudero v. Moran
Scudero v. Moran
Opinion of the Court
ORDER AND OPINION
I. MOTION PRESENTED
At docket 17, Respondents filed a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Petitioner filed a response at docket 24. Respondents filed a reply at docket 27. Oral argument was not requested and would not be of assistance to the court.
II. BACKGROUND
Petitioner is a member of the Metlakatla Indian Community. The Metlakatla Indian Community is governed by a twelve-member Community Council and a mayor. Petitioner was a candidate for mayor in November of 2015. After he lost the election, Petitioner requested that the Community Council certify a new election based on
Before the court ruled on the request for costs, Petitioner -filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, pursuant to § 1303 of the Indian Civil Rights Act (“IRCA”),
III. STANDARD OF REVIEW
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), a party may seek dismissal of an action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In order to survive a defendant’s motion to dismiss, the plaintiff has the burden of proving jurisdiction.
IY. DISCUSSION
“Federal courts have long recognized that Indian tribes are distinct political entities retaining inherent powers to manage internal tribal matters.”
No Indian tribe in exercising powers of self-government shall ... (8) deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws or deprive any person of liberty or property without due process of law ... ,8
The substantive rights set forth in § 1302 are not accompanied by a federal cause of action to remedy violations. Rather, any private right of action under the act lies in tribal court.
Petitioner argues that imposing the costs of the underlying tribal court case on him without due process amounts to a severe restraint on his liberty. Indeed, “[h]abeas relief does address more than actual physical custody.”
The Ninth Circuit examined Poodry in Jeffredo v. Macarro.
Given the case law and the guidance provided in Jeffredo, the court concludes that Petitioner has not suffered a severe restraint on his liberty. He has not been convicted of a crime and banished from the community as in Poodry. He has not been evicted from his home or had his movements restricted in some significant way. The council’s decision to seek imposition of costs after a favorable judgment pursuant to tribal ordinances is far less severe than what the Ninth Circuit deemed insufficiently severe in Jeffredo— denial of access to certain tribal facilities and services and disenrollment in the tribe. Moreover, if the loss of one’s “voice” in the community, health insurance, and quarterly distributions is insufficient to invoke the court’s jurisdiction as the Ninth Circuit indicated it would be, surely court-imposed costs for bringing an unsuccessful case in tribal court is insufficient.
Petitioner argues that if the fine is levied against him and not paid, he could face the loss of his right to vote in Community elections. Again, however, the loss of one’s “voice” in a tribal community is insufficient to provide the necessary jurisdiction. Even if the loss of the right to vote were considered sufficiently severe enough to constitute detention, the court in Jeffre-do made clear that until the severe restraint is imminent there can be no use of the habeas corpus remedy. That is, the potential threat of the loss of the right to vote is not sufficient to satisfy the detention requirement of § 1303.
To the extent Petitioner argues that he has been subject to a fine without due process, the court finds such an argument unavailing. Indeed, while the Ninth Circuit in Jeffredo stated that the petitioners in that case had not been “arrested, imprisoned, fined, or otherwise held by the Tribe,” clearly the imposition of court costs after unsuccessful litigation is not the equivalent of a criminal fine contemplated in the Ninth Circuit’s dicta. Moreover, even a close reading of the petition itself is enough to counter Petitioner’s assertion that a fine was imposed without due process. He admits in the petition that the Community Council did not impose the costs, but rather, filed a request for imposition of costs with the presiding tribal judge.
Petitioner spends a good portion of his response asserting that Respondent’s counsel has a conflict of interest and that his affidavit cannot be considered. The argument is irrelevant to the issue of the court’s jurisdiction, and, moreover, the court did not rely on counsel’s affidavit in determining the motion ■ to dismiss. The petition itself lacks sufficient allegations to warrant a finding of jurisdiction under § 1303.
In their reply, Respondents, in passing, request that the court grant them leave to file a post-dismissal motion for attorneys’ fees pursuant to Rule 11. “[E]ven if a court does not have jurisdiction over an underlying action, it may have jurisdiction to determine whether the parties have abused the judicial system and
V. CONCLUSION
Based on the preceding discussion, Respondents’ motion to dismiss at docket 17 is GRANTED.
. 25 U.S.C. § 1303.
. Doc. 1 atp. 1.
. Tosco v. Cmtys. for a Better Env’t, 236 F.3d 495, 499 (9th Cir. 2001).
. Doe v. Holy See, 557 F.3d 1066, 1073 (9th Cir. 2009).
.Id.
. Safe Air for Everyone v. Meyer, 373 F.3d 1035, 1039 (9th Cir. 2004).
. Lewis v. White Mountain Apache Tribe, No. CV-12-8073, 2013 WL 510111, at *4 (D. Ariz. Jan. 24, 2013).
. 25 U.S.C. § 1302.
. Bressi v. Ford, 575 F.3d 891, 896 n.6 (9th Cir. 2009).
. 25 U.S.C. § 1303.
. Jeffredo v. Macarro, 599 F.3d 913, 918-19 (9th Cir. 2010).
. Id. at 918.
. Id.
. Shenandoah v. U.S. Dep’t of Interior, 159 F.3d 708, 714 (2d Cir. 1998)
. Id.
. 85 F.3d 874 (2d Cir. 1996).
. 599 F.3d 913 (9th Cir. 2010).
. Id. at 919 (citing Poodry with approval).
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. Jeffredo, 599 F.3d at 919-20.
.Doc. 1 at ¶ 3.42
. Westlake N. Prop. Owners Ass’n v. City of Thousand Oaks, 915 F.2d 1301, 1303 (9th Cir. 1990); see also Branson v. Nott, 62 F.3d 287, 293 (9th Cir. 1995) ("That the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over [the plaintiff's] complaint does not preclude it from imposing Rule 11 sanctions for filing a frivolous complaint.").
. Townsend v. Holman Consulting Corp., 929 F.2d 1358, 1362 (9th Cir. 1990).
. Doc. 27 at p. 2.
. Under Rule 11, Petitioner should have an opportunity to be heard before the court makes a finding that would require the imposition of sanctions, and Respondents did not mention the possibility of sanctions until the filing of their reply brief, denying Petitioner any chance to respond to the allegation that the jurisdictional basis of his petition is frivolous under Rule 11.
. See Doc. 17 atp. 3.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jim E. SCUDERO v. Jeff MORAN
- Status
- Published