I stole this Lexus fair and square...

December 23, 2004 7:32 AM

Woman uses ancient law, including a purported 1778 treaty between the U.S. government and Native Americans, as explanation for not paying for her $40,000 Lexus, and then claims that Toyota owes her $1,114,000.
posted by TuxHeDoh (26 comments total)

a) not-even-Newsfilter. Silly fucks out West pull this "my debt isn't legally collectable under old Indian treaties" crap all the time. Likewise "Your courtroom has no authority over me because the flag hanging in it is fringed" and "I don't owe Federal income taxes because I am not a corporation".

b) you're wrong; she claimed Toyota owes her "tens of thousands of dollars and if they didn't pay, she would sue them for $1,114,000". Read your own article.
posted by nicwolff at 7:47 AM on December 23, 2004

Coffman even filed documents earlier this month informing the judge and Toyota that she wanted the case removed from Helmick's courtroom and transferred to the Pembina Nation Little Shell Band Federal Tribal Circuit Court based on a 1778 treaty.

You know, I saw the Pembina Nation Little Shell Band open up for The White Stripes a few years ago, and I gotta say... meh.
posted by mkultra at 7:48 AM on December 23, 2004

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Sovereign Citizens Movement. They've certainly got some unusual ideas. They'd probably be amusing idiots if it weren't for the guns.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:49 AM on December 23, 2004

nicwolff, I respectfully disagree. People who don't live in the US, or who don't happen to be aware of this particular movement, will find much to marvel at in these folks' views. This article includes some samples from their publications, which make Chick tracts look sane.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:54 AM on December 23, 2004

nicwolff is trash. why do you respect him?
posted by mcgraw at 7:55 AM on December 23, 2004

I should have said "people who don't live in the US or Canada," above.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:56 AM on December 23, 2004

I'm surprised no one has pointed out the most humorous part of this article, that the woman is invoking treaties between the Native Americans and the U.S. Government to dispute a disagreement with a *Japanese* car company. I at least think that's medium funny.
posted by mcstayinskool at 7:58 AM on December 23, 2004

"When the Toyota asked her about the deed to her house. . ."

- insert talking car joke here -
posted by DBAPaul at 8:07 AM on December 23, 2004

that the woman is invoking treaties between the Native Americans and the U.S. Government to dispute a disagreement with a *Japanese* car compan

Yeah. That's right up there with a Russian energy firm filing for bankrutpcy in a US court to avoid being taken over by the Russian Government.

Oh, wait.
posted by eriko at 8:07 AM on December 23, 2004

"I don't know what all is going on," Coffman said in a Monday telephone interview.
posted by sklero at 8:22 AM on December 23, 2004

I'm surprised no one has pointed out the most humorous part of this article, that the woman is invoking treaties between the Native Americans and the U.S. Government to dispute a disagreement with a *Japanese* car company. I at least think that's medium funny.

I'm not going to go back and double check, cuz it took about 5 minutes to load this page on my computer, but I believe she is suing the Toyota Finance company, not Toyota itself. The financing company may be American. Not sure.
posted by spicynuts at 8:34 AM on December 23, 2004

Sidhedevil beat me to the links of the Sovereign People movement. I first read about them in 1991 or 1992. I wonder if Ms. Coffman has received any government benefits or plans on receiving any during the rest of her life.

I'm also curious as to where she got that pre-1933 silver. That's what cracked me up the most.
posted by infowar at 9:44 AM on December 23, 2004

All I can say is, Wow. That takes a lot of guts.

My question is why she isn't in jail for contempt of court.
posted by nathanrudy at 10:18 AM on December 23, 2004

This Sovereign People shit has spread to New Zealand. In a very weird coincidence I read yesterday of a woman being tried in a Ponzi scheme fraud case defending herself thus (and I quote from The Independent, 22 December):

"...she was not the person referred to in the ... claim as 'Violet Ellen Read of Wairea'. Rather, she was Violet-Ellen [note hypen] Rea, Sovereign Individual of Onaero' and that the court had no jurisdiction over her."

Personally I blame the internet, which is letting the lunacy get around with the good stuff and the pron.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:19 AM on December 23, 2004

I can't wait for the ABC After School Special.
posted by fenriq at 10:23 AM on December 23, 2004

mcgraw, metafilter is, in a word "civil." You should be civil to other members, even if you disagree with their comments. Thanks.
posted by zpousman at 10:32 AM on December 23, 2004

Personally I think a single person could be defined as a sovereign nation if they had enough economic, military, and diplomatic power. (Not possible in our universe, but a definite possibility in the Marvel and DC universe)
posted by MrMulan at 12:22 PM on December 23, 2004

The Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A is an American company. Their cars are also American made.

I am not sure, but I think only Honda and Toyota can claim that.

Volkswagen is even made in mexico.
posted by nearo at 2:00 PM on December 23, 2004

zpousman,

Civil?
posted by mcgraw at 2:04 PM on December 23, 2004

My question is why she isn't in jail for contempt of court.

Because they haven't found her yet.
posted by pompomtom at 5:07 PM on December 23, 2004

Yet they managed to interview her?

Seems like a simple case of theft, to be honest.
posted by FormlessOne at 5:53 PM on December 23, 2004

FormlessOne, nothing is ever simple with the "Sovereign Citizens". My guess is that the judge, prosecutors, and court system who dared to call this woman to account for her actions will soon be hit with a wave of frivolous, punitive liens, which will not only make their lives difficult, but will keep the court system from doing its work.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:42 PM on December 23, 2004

They don't call it "paper terrorism" for nothing.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:44 PM on December 23, 2004

i'm all for exploitation of ancient dumb laws, except that this woman seems like a total nutcase
posted by radioamy at 2:17 AM on December 24, 2004

Spurious claims to Native American rights only hurts legitimate claims to such rights. The majority of the USA's indians have clearly defined legal rights as quasi-sovereign entities that go back to the constitution, but only over the past 30 years have Indians begun to make these laws stick in court. This may seem late for a lot of people, Indian and non-indian, but it is a fact that in America the myth that all citizens have absolutely equal rights is a myth - certain laws pertain to some citizens but not to others. It would be easy to simplify it all and say "It all happened in the past, I wasn't around back then, why should those Indians have the rights top open Casinos or avoid taxes etc, etc..." but that's how History catches up to you.

While the Pembina Nation, an Anishnabe (Plains Ojibwa) group related to the Rocky Boy Plains Cree (who are recognized) has a legitimate claim to recognition, this individual obviously has a legitimate claim to needing some serious psychotherapy.

Similar scams have occurred when some families claim Indian identity in order to use native rights to grab some casino cash. The scandals concerning granting casino rights to very small mixed blood communities with historically defined tribal rights such as the Pequots, Paugussetts, and Shagticokes in Connecticut have tended to focus people's attention away from the fact that most Indian sovereignty issues are not merely about opening casinos in peaceful suburbs.

When an individual - native or non-native (being a greedy and ignorant dickwad can cut cross ethnic lines) - abuses such laws it only hurts the rights of those legitimate tribal groups which have had formal government-to-government relations with the US for generations.
posted by zaelic at 3:21 AM on December 24, 2004

I suppose those of you mocking this woman for wanting her case to be heard in a tribal court have no problem with Andrew Jackson's overruling the Supreme Court by sheer pigheadedness in Worcester v. Georgia, hmm? After all, I know that everyone on Metafilter just loves to see the exercise of unchecked executive branch power.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 9:10 AM on December 24, 2004