Judge tosses Encana lawsuit

A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit
that Encana Oil and Gas filed against a tribal judge on the Wind
River Indian Reservation.
     Judge Alan B. Johnson of Cheyenne last week dismissed Encana's
lawsuit against John St. Clair, the chief judge of the Shoshone and
Arapaho Tribal Court.
     Encana sued St. Clair in February claiming the tribal court had
no jurisdiction over the company. The lawsuit followed St. Clair's
ruling that Encana must answer a wrongful death lawsuit filed by
the estate of a Shoshone man who died after drinking at an Encana
drilling site on the reservation.
     Kimberly D. Varilek is attorney general of the Eastern Shoshone
Tribe. She says Johnson's ruling is a victory for tribal
sovereignty.
     Encana spokesman Randy Teeuwen says the company will appeal.