The plaintiffs in the Keepseagle case continue to negotiate a potential settlement with the Department of Agriculture under Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The class action lawsuit represents Indian farmers who were denied services and loans that were made available to their White counterparts. It was filed on November 24, 1999.

"It's been more than 10 years, and up to this point, there hasn't been a whole lot done," plaintiff Porter Holder, a farmer from Oklahoma, told The Washington Post. "The Obama administration and Secretary Vilsack are acting aggressively, but so far the talk to the Native American is cheap."

Joe Sellers, the lead attorney, said court proceedings are on hold while the parties negotiate. The Obama administration recently reached a new settlement with African-American farmers who experienced discrimination.

Get the Story:
Hope, worry about settlement of discrimination suit with black farmers (The Washington Post 2/26)

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