Lawsuit against National Congress of American Indians set for first hearing

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Dante Desiderio, then serving as Chief Executive Officer of the National Congress of American Indians, appears before a roundtable of the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2022. Photo: FairGrowthCmte

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Indianz.Com

A lawsuit against the National Congress of American Indians is finally getting its first hearing, some six months after it was filed.

Dante Desiderio filed a complaint in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on June 24 after being suspended as chief executive officer of NCAI earlier in the month. He is accusing his former employer of “race-based” discrimination in connection with his placement of two non-Indians in high-ranking positions at the nation’s largest inter-tribal advocacy organization.

NCAI attempted to remove the case to the federal system — a request that was eventually denied. Due to the potential transfer, the Superior Court canceled an initial scheduling conference that was supposed to take place in late September, leaving the legal dispute on hold temporarily.

But with the case back in the D.C. court system, a status hearing is now scheduled for December 16. The case is being heard by Judge Juliet J. McKenna, who had originally been assigned to the lawsuit back in June.

Lawsuit from former executive at National Congress of American Indians sent back to D.C. court

A lawsuit filed by the former chief executive officer of the National Congress of American Indians will proceed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Indianz.Com

Desiderio served as CEO of NCAI for only about a year before he was placed on temporary administrative leave on June 10. The reasons for the decision were not disclosed by the organization at the time.

In his complaint, however, Desiderio alleges that his suspension was tied to a sexual harassment investigation into one of the non-Indians he brought on board at NCAI.

According to the D.C. Superior Court docket, NCAI was served with the lawsuit on August 12. Later in the day, the organization announced it had “parted ways” with Desiderio.

A month later, NCAI announced Larry Wright Jr., a former chairman of the Ponca Tribe, as the successor to Desiderio. The organization returned to the use of the “Executive Director” title, as had long been custom since its founding in 1944.

Amid the controversy, NCAI launched a Sovereignty Run to highlight the threats facing tribal rights. The 1,785-mile journey began in Oklahoma on October 3 and has since entered California, where the organization is kicking off its 79th annual convention in Sacramento at the end of the month.

As for the lawsuit, future proceedings will be viewable online through the WebEx conferencing link attached to Judge McKenna’s courtroom.

The case is Dante Desiderio v. National Congress of American Indians, No. 2022 CA 002830 B. Records can be accessed online at dccourts.gov.