Court: Tribe Not Liable For Wrongful Death Judgment

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — A South Florida Indian tribe cannot be held liable for a wrongful death judgment from a 1998 deadly car crash.

That was the ruling from an appeals court about the $4.1 million wrongful death judgment.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal decided last week that the Miccosukee tribe cannot be forced to pay for the actions of its members, even though the tribe paid the members' legal costs.

A lower court judge had previously ordered the tribe to pay Carlos Bermudez and his son for the crash that killed 30-year-old Liliana Bermudez.

Investigators said Miccosukee tribe member Tammy Gwen Billie had drugs in her system when the car crash happened. The car was owned by tribe member Jimmie Bert. Bermudez won a jury verdict against both, but they have maintained they have no assets.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

RELATED CONTENT: