Silver Eagle Mining Co v. Idaho
Annotate this CaseThis matter arose out of a dispute between Silver Eagle Mining Co. (Silver Eagle) and the State of Idaho (State) regarding ownership of property in Shoshone County on which Silver Eagle had located sixteen mining claims. After Silver Eagle filed an action against the State to quiet title in the mining claims, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of the State on the ground of claim preclusion because the Department of the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) had previously found Silver Eagle's mining claims void ab initio. Silver Eagle appealed, arguing that claim preclusion did not apply because the IBLA decision did not address the same claim as Silver Eagle's action against the State. Additionally, Silver Eagle contended that the State was collaterally estopped from asserting title to the subject property and asked the Supreme Court to vacate the judgment of the district court and enter judgment in its favor. Upon review, the Supreme Court concluded that res judicata indeed precluded Silver Eagle from relitigating its interest in the subject mining claims. The Court affirmed the district court's judgment.
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