Monday, June 22, 2015

Robinson v. Jewell (9th Cir. - June 22, 2015)

Here's the judicial equivalent of a lottery ticket.

The Kawaiisu is a non-federally recognized Native American group that claims to own an incredibly valuable piece of property -- the Tajon Ranch, one of the largest contiguous pieces of private land in California.  The Kawaiisu claim that they own this land notwithstanding a plethora of treaties with Mexico as well as various other tribes.

The district court dismissed the lawsuit for failure to state a claim.  The Ninth Circuit affirms.

There was no way this lawsuit was going to prevail.  On the merits or otherwise.  Robinson (and his counsel) would have been better off spending their time and money on Mega Millions.