The legal fight against Seneca-owned lands in Western New York has grown, with New York State recently launching a lawsuit challenging the restricted-fee status given to parcels in Grand Island and Buffalo.
The City of Buffalo has been engaged in legal action since September, after the Seneca Nation started construction of a gas station on a parcel near the Buffalo River. The land was granted restricted-fee status, which takes jurisdiction from state and local governments, in 2023 after no objection from officials outside of the Seneca Nation.
Buffalo was unsuccessful in state court in its attempts to gain an injunction on construction. However the city has also been waging a separate legal action in federal court against the Interior Department and Bureau of Indian Affairs for that 2023 decision.
New York State’s new federal lawsuit mirrors much of the city’s argument…