Tribe suing beer companies for alcohol problems

[Hum]

LINCOLN, Neb. ? An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota said it is demanding $500 million in damages for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation, which encompasses some of the nation's most impoverished counties.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Nebraska also targets four beer stores in Whiteclay, a Nebraska town near the reservation's border that, despite having only about a dozen residents, sold nearly 5 million cans of beer in 2010.

Tribal leaders and activists blame the Whiteclay businesses for chronic alcohol abuse and bootlegging on the Pine Ridge reservation, where all alcohol is banned. They say most of the stores' customers come from the reservation, which spans southwest South Dakota and dips into Nebraska.

"You cannot sell 4.9 million 12-ounce cans of beer and wash your hands like Pontius Pilate, and say we've got nothing to do with it being smuggled," said Tom White, the tribe's Omaha-based attorney.

The lawsuit alleges that the beer makers and stores sold to Pine Ridge residents knowing they would smuggle the alcohol into the reservation to drink or resell. The beer makers supplied the stores with "volumes of beer far in excess of an amount that could be sold in compliance with the laws of the state of Nebraska" and the tribe, tribal officials allege in the lawsuit.

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[Astra.Xtreme]

LOOOOOOL! Yeah, let's just blame all of our mistakes on big business, so then we can get a big payday. What a joke...

I thought Indians were supposed to be knowledgeable and respectable people.

[Hum]

No -- the indians weren't personally responsable.

And what will they do with the money -- buy more alcohol ... ? :rolleyes:

[Original Poster]

I hate people like this.... stop blaming your problems on everyone else you damn addicts

[nominak]

I thought Indians were supposed to be knowledgeable and respectable people.

LOL Since when? All they are, are lazy, do nothings who collect large sums of money from the government.

[DocM]

[gnuman]

Just like parents suing McDonalds for making their kids fat when it's mommy or daddy's fault for not cooking proper food.

[Glassed Silver]

I'm afraid a quadro facepalm is not enough...

Glassed Silver:mac

[blade1269]

No -- the indians weren't personally responsable.

And what will they do with the money -- buy more alcohol ... ? :rolleyes:

Or build a casino and the sell beer ther too ... :)

[SharpGreen]

Unless I'm misunderstanding this article...how do you sell 5mill cans of beer to 12 people?

[DocM]

That's like 1,142 cans per person/per day :p

[Hum]

Unless I'm misunderstanding this article...how do you sell 5mill cans of beer to 12 people?

I guess they resold some beer to the under-aged.

... stores sold to Pine Ridge residents knowing they would smuggle the alcohol into the reservation to drink or resell.

[metallithrax]

Unless I'm misunderstanding this article...how do you sell 5mill cans of beer to 12 people?

The town that sells the beer only has 12 people. The reservation is nearby, and it's those from the reservation that buy most of the beer.

[Arachno 1D]

Yea its about as much chance of succeeding as trying to sue gun manufacturers for two world wars