A U.S. District Court Judge has dismissed most of a lawsuit brought by the Ute Indian Tribe against the United States of America in which the Tribe attempts to claim about 2 million acres of land in eastern Utah as well as reparations amounting to upwards of a billion dollars. Dated December 16th, United States District Judge Carl J. Nichols wrote that the Court agrees with the Federal Defendants that the Tribe’s first three claims are barred by the applicable statute of limitations. One motion by the Federal Defendants was not granted on the Tribe’s claim that their lands are still used for activities not for the Tribe. Judge Nichols stated that “a number of the Federal Defendants’ arguments as to why Count V must be dismissed are close calls, but at this stage in the proceedings, the Court will decline to grant the motion to dismiss on that count” and his final conclusion was that “the Court will grant the Federal Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss, ECF No. 35, for Counts 1, 2, and 3, but deny the Motion for Count 5.”
