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Federal judge Thomas Hogan yesterday approved a $3.4 billion settlement in a case that alleged U.S. officials mismanaged Indian royalties.
Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff, with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Attorney General Eric Holder is at right.
Under the settlement, $1.5 billion will go to at least 300,000 Indian account holders. Another $1.9 billion will be used to buy back and consolidate tribal land that has become subdivided over the years, AP reports. An additional $60 million will go to a scholarship fund for Indian students.
“The government mismanaged these resources on a staggering scale,” Judge Hogan concluded yesterday, in approving the settlement. “The process has gone on long enough,” he added, noting that hundreds of potential beneficiaries have died during the 15-year litigation.
In a statement, President Obama said the decision “marks another important step forward in the relationship between the federal government and Indian Country.”
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Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff, with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Attorney General Eric Holder is at right.
Under the settlement, $1.5 billion will go to at least 300,000 Indian account holders. Another $1.9 billion will be used to buy back and consolidate tribal land that has become subdivided over the years, AP reports. An additional $60 million will go to a scholarship fund for Indian students.
“The government mismanaged these resources on a staggering scale,” Judge Hogan concluded yesterday, in approving the settlement. “The process has gone on long enough,” he added, noting that hundreds of potential beneficiaries have died during the 15-year litigation.
In a statement, President Obama said the decision “marks another important step forward in the relationship between the federal government and Indian Country.”
More...
