Magistrate: Doctrine Not Grounds To Dismiss Parallel Federal Civil Rights Suit

Mealey's (December 10, 2015, 8:12 AM EST) -- TUCSON, Ariz. — A federal court suit filed after a similar action was lodged in tribal court should not be dismissed under the Rooker-Feldman doctrine because tribal courts are not the highest court in a state, so the doctrine does not apply to judgments rendered by them, a federal magistrate judge in Arizona held in a Dec. 7 report and recommendation (Jorge Morales-Alfonso v. Francisco Enterprises, Inc., et al., No. 4:15-cv-200, D. Ariz.; 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163768)....