Nooksack Tribal Language Teacher Sues Tribal Officials for Wrongful Termination

Here are the materials in Adams v. Canete (Nooksack Tribal Court):

Adams v Canete Complaint for Declaratory Injunctive Equitable Relief

Adams v Canete Declaration of George Adams

And the press release (5/5/2014):

NOOKSACK TRIBAL MEMBER AND “306” SUPPORTER FILES TRIBAL COURT SUIT AGAINST BOB KELLY ADMINISTRATION FOR WRONGFUL TERMINATION

GEORGE ADAMS, TRIBAL LANGUAGE TEACHER AND ONE OF NEARLY 50 TRIBAL MEMBERS FIRED BY THE KELLY ADMINISTRATION SINCE MID-2013, FILES TRIBAL AND FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS ACTION

Deming, WA – Today George Adams, who was fired a few days before he challenged Bob Kelly for the Nooksack Tribal Chairmanship in the Tribe’s General Election on March 15, 2014, initiated a Tribal Court wrongful termination lawsuit against various Tribal Councilperson and General Manager Catherine Kanete and other Tribal officials. 

 

“I was unfairly terminated from my job at the Nooksack Tribe as a language and cultural preservation teacher in retaliation for running for tribal office,” said Adams.  “The Tribal Council found my potential election to Tribal Chair threatening and this is how they take revenge.  Now they are using the so-called involuntary termination policies to intimidate and punish me and others for speaking out against the disenrollment of the 306 tribal members.”

 

During his campaign, Adams referred to himself as “307,” meaning an ally of the 306 Nooksack tribal members who have been subject to disenrollment since late 2012.  Although not himself subject to disenrollment, Adams has vocally denounced the termination effort led by Bob Kelly that has deeply and very publicly divided the Tribe for the last 1 ½ years.

 

The “Nooksack 306” estimate on their Facebook page that 50 family members or supporters like Adams have been terminated by the Bob Kelly Tribal Council Faction since mid-2013.

 

All Nooksack disenrollment proceedings are currently stayed after a Nooksack Tribal appellate court struck down a Tribal disenrollment ordinance promulgated by the Bob Kelly Council Faction, for lack of U.S. Department of Interior Secretarial approval.

 

Adams is represented by the Northwest Justice Project and its Native American Unit.