Post by Okwes on Jul 26, 2006 10:24:16 GMT -5
Settlement appears close on Indian trust lawsuit By JENNIFER TALHELM -
Associated Press Writer - 07/25/06
www.helenair.com/articles/2006/07/25/national/a06072506_02.txt
<http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/07/25/national/a06072506_02.txt>
WASHINGTON �" American Indians suing the government over billions
of dollars in lost royalties say they are contemplating an offer by
members of Congress to resolve their lawsuit for $8 billion. The offer
is considerably lower than the $27.5 billion plaintiffs offered to
settle for a year ago. But plaintiffs say they are considering it
seriously, bringing them closer than ever to ending the lawsuit, which
has bogged down the Interior and Justice departments for 10 years.
‘‘Eight billion dollars is something I wish was higher, but
I’m glad they were able to bring something forward that was
equitable,’’ the lead plaintiff, Blackfeet Indian Elouise
Cobell, said in an interview. ‘‘Can we ever get near the
total fair amount that should be given to individual Indians? I
don’t think so. I think individual Indian account holders would
support $8 billion.’’
Cobell, of Browning, Mont., filed the class-action lawsuit in 1996,
accusing the government of mishandling more than $100 billion in oil,
gas, timber, grazing and other royalties from Indians’ lands
dating back to 1887.
In what has become a messy, protracted court battle, the plaintiffs have
won a series of district court victories. U.S. District Judge Royce
Lamberth held interior secretaries Bruce Babbitt and Gale Norton in
contempt and ordered the Interior Department to disconnect its computers
from the Internet to secure Indian trust data.
But the plaintiffs were dealt a blow earlier this month when the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered Lamberth
removed from the case, saying he had lost his objectivity. Plaintiffs
offered a settlement package last year, and Senate Indian Affairs
Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., and House Resources Committee
Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., have introduced bills that would
resolve the case.
But the settlement amount has been a sticking point.
Cobell and one of her attorneys, Keith Harper, said Monday that
officials for the two committees suggested the $8 billion figure almost
three weeks ago.
Spokespeople for McCain and Pombo said they could not comment on the
settlement and that committee meetings to work out the details would be
held in the next two months.
Interior Department spokesman Shane Wolfe said department officials are
continuing to work with the plaintiffs, but he also declined to talk
about specifics.
Cobell said the Indian plaintiffs want to settle and move on.
‘‘A settlement is a way of moving forward to get justice to
the many Indian account holders who are elderly and in need of
justice,’’ Cobell said Monday.
Associated Press Writer - 07/25/06
www.helenair.com/articles/2006/07/25/national/a06072506_02.txt
<http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/07/25/national/a06072506_02.txt>
WASHINGTON �" American Indians suing the government over billions
of dollars in lost royalties say they are contemplating an offer by
members of Congress to resolve their lawsuit for $8 billion. The offer
is considerably lower than the $27.5 billion plaintiffs offered to
settle for a year ago. But plaintiffs say they are considering it
seriously, bringing them closer than ever to ending the lawsuit, which
has bogged down the Interior and Justice departments for 10 years.
‘‘Eight billion dollars is something I wish was higher, but
I’m glad they were able to bring something forward that was
equitable,’’ the lead plaintiff, Blackfeet Indian Elouise
Cobell, said in an interview. ‘‘Can we ever get near the
total fair amount that should be given to individual Indians? I
don’t think so. I think individual Indian account holders would
support $8 billion.’’
Cobell, of Browning, Mont., filed the class-action lawsuit in 1996,
accusing the government of mishandling more than $100 billion in oil,
gas, timber, grazing and other royalties from Indians’ lands
dating back to 1887.
In what has become a messy, protracted court battle, the plaintiffs have
won a series of district court victories. U.S. District Judge Royce
Lamberth held interior secretaries Bruce Babbitt and Gale Norton in
contempt and ordered the Interior Department to disconnect its computers
from the Internet to secure Indian trust data.
But the plaintiffs were dealt a blow earlier this month when the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered Lamberth
removed from the case, saying he had lost his objectivity. Plaintiffs
offered a settlement package last year, and Senate Indian Affairs
Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., and House Resources Committee
Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., have introduced bills that would
resolve the case.
But the settlement amount has been a sticking point.
Cobell and one of her attorneys, Keith Harper, said Monday that
officials for the two committees suggested the $8 billion figure almost
three weeks ago.
Spokespeople for McCain and Pombo said they could not comment on the
settlement and that committee meetings to work out the details would be
held in the next two months.
Interior Department spokesman Shane Wolfe said department officials are
continuing to work with the plaintiffs, but he also declined to talk
about specifics.
Cobell said the Indian plaintiffs want to settle and move on.
‘‘A settlement is a way of moving forward to get justice to
the many Indian account holders who are elderly and in need of
justice,’’ Cobell said Monday.