The Native American Rights Fund filed a lawsuit last month to represent more than 250 tribes whose trust funds have never been accounted.

Eleven tribes signed on as named plaintiffs. They are the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho; the Yakama Nation in Washington; the Klamath Tribes of Oregon; the Mescalero Apache Nation of New Mexico; the Tule River and Yurok Tribes in California; the Hualapai Tribe in Arizona; the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe, the Pawnee Nation, and the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma; and Santee Sioux Tribe in Nebraska.

The suit was filed on December 28 in order to beat a December 31, 2006, deadline for accounting claims against the federal government. The Bush administration opposed extending the statute of limitations, citing "billions" of dollars in potential liability.

Get the Story:
Tribes sue feds, alleging poor trust fund management (AP 1/11)
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Tribes meet deadline (The Oklahoman 1/12)
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NARF Complaint:
Nez Perce Tribe v. Kempthorne (December 28, 2006)

DOJ Letter:
Opposition to Extending Statute of Limitations (December 2005)

Statute of Limitations Bill:
S.1892 | H.R.4292 | Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

Relevant Links:
Native American Rights Fund - http://www.narf.org
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Kempthorne - http://www.indiantrust.com

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