The property at the center of the dispute, which was originally reserved for the Yakama Nation’s exclusive use under the Treaty of 1855, is now owned by the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. The tribe claims the property remains within reservation boundaries, even though it was transferred out of the tribe’s ownership during the Allotment Era.
Representatives for both the Yakama Nation and the City of Toppenish did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Yakama Nation is represented by Ethan Jones and Anthony Aronica of the Yakama Nation Office of Legal Counsel. Toppenish is represented by Daniel B. Heid of Kerr Ferguson Law PLLC.
The case is Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation v. City of Toppenish, case number 1:24-cv-03189, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
