Mich. Panel: United States Is Necessary Party In Property Dispute Involving Tribes

(February 2, 2024, 3:47 PM EST) -- DETROIT — State courts lack jurisdiction to hear two property owners’ claims to quiet title because the United States, as trustee for several federally recognized Indian tribes, maintains an interest over the disputed land even though the property owners argued that the land at issue is separate and distinct from any interest of the United States, the majority of a Michigan panel found in affirming a trial court’s decision to dismiss the case....