{"id":28421,"date":"2022-09-23T11:19:38","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T15:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=28421"},"modified":"2022-10-20T12:36:49","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T16:36:49","slug":"lawsuit-from-former-executive-at-national-congress-of-american-indians-sent-back-to-d-c-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/09\/23\/lawsuit-from-former-executive-at-national-congress-of-american-indians-sent-back-to-d-c-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuit from former executive at National Congress of American Indians sent back to D.C. court"},"content":{"rendered":" \"National<\/a>
A welcome mat at the Embassy of Tribal Nations in Washington, D.C., home to the National Congress of American Indians. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Lawsuit from former executive at National Congress of American Indians sent back to D.C. court<\/div>\r\n
Friday, September 23, 2022<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nA lawsuit filed by the former chief executive officer of the National Congress of American Indians<\/a> will proceed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nDante Desiderio filed a complaint on June 24 after being suspended as CEO earlier in the month. He is accusing NCAI of “race-based” discrimination<\/a> in connection with his hiring of two non-Indians at the largest inter-tribal advocacy organization in the United States.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nNCAI subsequently sought to have the case removed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia<\/a>, which is part of the federal system. But a federal judge denied the request<\/a> on Monday, citing a “lack of removal jurisdiction.” \r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\r\n04519474400<\/a>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIn the meantime, however, the D.C. Superior Court judge assigned to the case canceled an initial scheduling conference that was due to take place on Friday morning.\r\nThe step was taken in anticipation of the lawsuit being removed to the federal system.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut now that the case is indeed being litigated in D.C. Superior Court, the initial conference will be rescheduled for a later date.\r\n

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

<\/p>\r\nIn his complaint, however, Desiderio discloses that his suspension came in connection with a sexual harassment investigation into one of the non-Indians he brought on board<\/a> at NCAI.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\u2018Friends\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u2018Friends with benefits\u2019: Former executive of National Congress of American Indians ousted in sexual harassment dispute\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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The chief executive officer of the National Congress of American Indians lost his job over his handling of a sexual harassment investigation, according to an explosive lawsuit.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Indianz.Com\"\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording 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>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nNCAI has since announced Larry Wright Jr., a former chairman of the Ponca Tribe<\/a>, as its new executive. The organization returned to the use of the “Executive Director” title, as had long been custom since its founding in 1944.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nDesiderio’s lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Juliet J. McKenna on the D.C. Superior Court. Future proceedings will be viewable online through the WebEx conferencing link<\/a> attached to her courtroom.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe case is Dante Desiderio v. National Congress of American Indians<\/em>, No. 2022 CA 002830 B. Records can be accessed online at dccourts.gov<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

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\u2018Friends with benefits\u2019: Former executive of National Congress of American Indians ousted in sexual harassment dispute<\/a> (September 7, 2022)<\/div>
Documents: Dante Desiderio v. National Congress of American Indians<\/a> (September 6, 2022)<\/div>\r\n
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