Judge Dismisses Most of Cayuga Nation Smoke Shop Lawsuit

A federal judge has granted the Cayuga Nation’s motion to dismiss most counterclaims and complaints filed against it and leader, Clint Halftown.

The lawsuit involves claims by the owners of the Pipekeepers business that was on East Bayard Street in Seneca Falls and then opened a new store on Route 90 in Montezuma.  The judge this month dismissed two of the three claims over the seizure of the business’s inventory and other property, and subsequent sale of that inventory from the Seneca Falls store.

The Citizen reports the remaining count seeks $5 million from Pipekeepers owner Dusty Parker for allegedly investing income derived from “unlawful conduct to facilitate the import of contraband and other goods from across state lines.”

The Cayuga Nation purchased the Seneca Falls store and then took over the property during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2022.

The former Pipekeepers Seneca Falls store on January 1, 2022 after the eviction by the Cayuga Indian Nation. Photo by Greg Cotterill.