Barricade on Lac du Flambeau reservation (Photo: Dave Miess)
LAC du FLAMBEAU, WI (WSAU-WXPR) More than two dozen homeowners are suing the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Tribal Council.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on Tuesday asks a judge to immediately remove the barriers the Tribe put up on four roads due to rights-of-way disputes.
The lawyer representing many of the landowners had told the tribe it would seek legal action if the barricades were not lifted by noon Tuesday. That marked four weeks of them being in place.
The lawsuit says the tribe illegally put down the barriers since the roads in question are open and available to the public under federal law. It cites the federal Tribal Transportation Program as to why they are considered public.
The 28 plaintiffs listed in the suit are all homeowners that have been blocked driving access to and from their homes because of the barricades. In addition to immediately reopening the roads, the lawsuit asks the court to issue a permanent injunction requiring the roadways to remain open for public use.
The title companies involved in this issue and the Town of Lac du Flambeau have made monetary offers to resolve this issue. The Tribe has declined those offers.
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