Lawyers for Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Indian trust fund lawsuit, will ask the court to rule that an historical accounting of billions in Indian money is impossible due to inaccurate information in the government's computer systems.

Jodi Rave of The Missoulian reports that a motion will be made within 45 days. �We all know they can't do an historical accounting from 1887 forward,� Cobell told Rave.

The plaintiffs will be citing reports from the Interior Department's Inspector General that show major problems with the computer systems. Hackers have been able to break into the network repeatedly despite a $100 million investment from the Bush administration.

Get the Story:
Interior Secretary pleased with order requiring government to square Native landowner accounts (The Missoulian 11/20)

Historical Accounting Decision:
Cobell v. Norton (November 15, 2005)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org
Intertribal Trust Fund Monitoring Association - http://www.itmatrustfunds.org

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