The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes lost a bid to revive a lawsuit claiming ownership of 7,000 acres at Fort Reno in Oklahoma.

In a unanimous decision, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said the tribe waited too long to file suit. The court said a statute of limitations to challenge the federal government's use of Fort Reno ran out decades ago.

"The statute of limitation for the tribes’ claims, if they had any, began to run as soon as the government used Fort Reno for something other than a military purpose," the court said in the 12-page decision. "More than twelve years have since elapsed and the tribes’ quiet title action is therefore time-barred."

The lawsuit claimed the government promised to return the 7,000 acres at Fort Reno when the land was no longer needed by the military.

Appeals Court Decision:
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes v. US (March 17, 2009)

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