Two environmental organizations and an Aboriginal tribe claimed in the lawsuit that the US federal government did not consult with local tribes before approving the project, nor did it fully assess the threat of the Arizona copper mine project to surrounding wildlife. The lawsuit alleges that the US Land Administration violated federal law, failed to negotiate with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the threat of the Copper Creek Project to protected Mexican spotted owls, and did not fully assess the project's harm to yellow cuckoos.

Two environmental organizations and an Aboriginal tribe claimed in the lawsuit that the US federal government did not consult with local tribes before approving the project, nor did it fully assess the threat of the Arizona copper mine project to surrounding wildlife. The lawsuit alleges that the US Land Administration violated federal law, failed to negotiate with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the threat of the Copper Creek Project to protected Mexican spotted owls, and did not fully assess the project's harm to yellow cuckoos.