Dollar General Case Summary

This case starts with the partnership between Dollar General Corp. and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The Dollar General operates its business upon the land owned by the Tribe. Dollar General holds a lease and business license agreement with the Tribe. This agreement upholds Dollar General to consent to all manner of tribal laws and agreed to abide by those laws. The Tribe ran a “Youth Opportunity Program” which placed tribal members in short-term, unpaid positions with local businesses for educational purposes and Dollar General agreed to participate in the program.
The name is upheld, but in the Spring of 2003 a 13 year old member of the Tribe, known as John Doe in court, alleged that he was sexually molested by the Dollar General store manager, Dale Townsend. Doe had been working in the Dollar General as part of the Youth Opportunity Program. It wasn’t until 2005 the Doe sued Townsend and Dollar General in tribal court. The general rule in tribal court is that states have no jurisdiction over the activities of Indians and Tribes in Indian Country. Doe was seeking a 2.5 million dollar settlement. Dollar General moved to dismiss the case for lack of evidence and subject matter jurisdiction, and the tribal court denied
In the most recent oral argument of this case at almost seven Justices agreed that “Indian courts are fully capable of guaranteeing fundamental fairness to all litigants shows that Indian nations have won the game of self governance.” Dollar General has become “this century's fiercest challenger to tribal communities”. This case poses a threat against tribal governments ability to develop their economies, to make suitable contracts and even to protect their citizens. The people of these Tribes are trying to modernize and they appear to be succeeding and these large companies pose a threat to their