June 05, 2024
A federal judge in Washington state on Wednesday tossed a ranch's $48 million negligence lawsuit alleging the Bureau of Indian Affairs is liable for damages from a 2020 wildfire, ruling that agreements between the bureau and a Native American tribe did not spell out a specific firefighting duty.
March 07, 2024
The federal government wants a Washington ranch's $48 million negligence suit alleging that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is liable for damages from a 2020 forest fire dismissed, saying that the plaintiff cannot argue that a smoldering pile of leaves and ash warrant jurisdiction under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
August 28, 2023
The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has told a Washington federal court it is immune from a ranch's lawsuit blaming an agency contractor for causing a wildfire that caused tens of millions of dollars worth of ranch property damage.
June 13, 2023
A Washington ranch accused the Bureau of Indian Affairs of negligence over a catastrophic wildfire, claiming a tribal corporation that was contracted by the U.S. government to protect local forestry failed to maintain a smoldering pile of timber scraps that allegedly triggered the fire.