Farmers Can’t Sue Feds for Breaching South Dakota Leases

Lessees of farm land on a South Dakota Indian Reservation can’t sue the U.S. government for breach of contract when their leases were canceled, a federal appeals court ruled July 24.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims correctly dismissed the breach claims because the U.S. government wasn’t a party to the leases, unlike the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said.

The claims court can’t exercise jurisdiction over breach claims unless privity exists between parties, the court said.

No alleged facts support a conclusion that the U.S. government was acting as anything other than ...