Cherokee Nation and father face fines in South Carolina court

Thursday, September 26, 2013  

The Cherokee Nation and Dusten Brown, a tribal citizen who lost custody of his daughter this week, could be fined in the South Carolina court system, according to news reports.

The tribe defended Brown as he sought to keep his daughter in Oklahoma following negative rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and the South Carolina Supreme Court. Both parties could be held in contempt of court for that entire time, news reports said.

Brown handed over his daughter to a non-Indian couple from South Carolina on Monday after the Oklahoma Supreme Court refused to entertain further proceedings. The couple spent seven weeks in Oklahoma and any fines to the tribe and Brown might be related to their time in the state.

Get the Story:
Chief Says Tribe Used Every Legal Avenue To Keep 'Baby Veronica' In Oklahoma (News on 6 9/25)
South Carolina court could seek compensation from Dusten Brown, Cherokee Nation (The Tulsa World 9/26)
Financial sanctions against Veronica’s birth father, tribe considered as attorney calls for truce (The Charleston Post and Courier 9/26)
"Baby Veronica" Lawsuit Damages Tribes' ICWA Authority (South Dakota Public Broadcasting 9/26)

Oklahoma Supreme Court Decision:
Brown v. DeLapp (September 23, 2013)

U.S. Supreme Court Decision:
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (June 25, 2013)

Related Stories:
Oklahoma governor doesn't want Cherokee man extradited (9/25)
Cherokee Nation father hands daughter to non-Indian couple (9/24)
Court holds second day of hearings in Cherokee custody case (9/18)
Oklahoma court hears custody dispute involving Cherokee girl (9/16)
Christian evangelicals support adoptive couple in ICWA case (9/13)
Scott Starr: Conservative politics affect Cherokee ICWA case (9/12)
UN official urges consideration of culture in adoption dispute (9/11)
Cherokee Nation father files second appeal in adoption dispute (9/9)