Liquor companies reply to Oglala Sioux Tribe's Whiteclay suit

Tuesday, May 1, 2012  

Six liquor companies, distributors and stores are seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

The companies supply liquor to four stores in Whiteclay, Nebraska, just across the border from the Pine Ridge Reservation, where alcohol is outlawed. The tribe blames the companies for health, law enforcement and other problems.

"The absurdity of this request cannot be understated," one liquor store said in reply to the tribe's lawsuit. "Plaintiff is seeking an order from this court that would actually command the retail defendants to refuse the sale of their otherwise publicly available goods to members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation solely based on their race and ethnicity."

Turtle Talk has posted documents from the case, Oglala Sioux Tribe v. Schwarting.

Get the Story:
Beer companies seek dismissal of reservation suit (AP 4/30)

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