Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the Indian trust fund lawsuit, appeared on NPR's Tell Me More program on Monday.

Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, discussed the history of the case. She said Indian trust beneficiaries won the right to an accounting of their funds in December 1999.

"The government hired a huge accounting firm and they went out and said, you know, this is such a mess. It's unbelievable. There's no way we can give an accounting," Cobell said.

Earlier this year, Judge James Robertson ruled the accounting is impossible. So the plaintiffs are seeking $58 billion in restitution for the government's failure to distribute all of the trust funds and the benefits received for not doing so.

"[W]hen the shoe's on the other foot and the United States government is managing money, they don't have any laws. No laws whatsoever. This money is supposed to be held in trust to the highest fiduciary standards, and nobody has held the Department of Interior or the Department of Treasury accountable for the money," Cobell said.

Robertson started a trial on June 9 to put a final dollar figure on the case. Testimony resumed on Monday.

Get the Story:
After a Decade, Tribe to Receive U.S. Settlement (National Public Radio 6/16)

Trial Transcripts:
June 9 AM | June 9 PM | June 10 AM | June 10 PM | June 11 | June 12 AM | June 12 PM | June 16 AM

Related Stories:
Cobell to appear on NPR program 'Tell Me More' (6/16)
Jodi Rave: Testimony continues in historic Cobell trial (6/16)
Letter: Indians kept poor by federal government (6/16)
Osage trust funds at issue in Cobell lawsuit (6/13)
Editorial: $58B trust payout more than fair (6/13)
Editorial: Indians short-changed by trustee (6/13)
Cobell plaintiffs rest case in trust fund trial (6/12)
Cobell plaintiffs focus on $58B claim at trial (6/11)
Trial seeks to resolve Indian trust fund lawsuit (6/11)
Judge opens landmark trial in Cobell trust fund case (6/10)
Jodi Rave: Cobell happy with opening day of trial (6/10)
Jodi Rave: Cobell trial begins in Washington DC (6/9)
Cobell trust fund case set for final trial (6/3)
After six-plus years, BIA website finally online (05/27)
BIA to be fully online in a couple of months (5/21)
Interior heads back online after disconnect (5/15)
Judge issues pre-trial order in Cobell trust case (5/13)
Bush administration responds to Cobell $58B claim (04/11)
'Rough justice' seen in resolving Cobell case (4/7)
House panel threatens Cobell accounting cut (4/4)
Letter: A small spark of justice in Cobell case (3/31)
Cobell plaintiffs say $58B owed for Indian trust (3/21)
Cobell case set for resolution in court (3/6)
Judge sets June 9 trial to resolve Cobell case (3/5)
Judge to hold Cobell hearing this Wednesday (3/3)
Next hearing in Cobell case set for March 5 (02/21)
Resolution appears near in Cobell trust case (2/19)
Editorial: Settle 'botched' Indian trust fund (02/06)
Editorial: Settle the Indian trust fund lawsuit (2/4)
Kempthorne reiterates $7B Indian trust offer (2/1)
Editorial: A remedy for 'neglect' of Indian trust (2/1)
Cobell: 'Great day in Indian Country' (1/31)
Judge: Cobell historical accounting 'impossible' (1/30)
Cobell statement on historical accounting decision (1/30)
Jim Cason: Historical accounting facts (01/18)