"Most Wisconsinites have probably never heard of Elouise Cobell, but the Blackfeet tribal member recently won a class-action lawsuit against the United States affecting about 500,000 Native Americans.

Cobell, the lead plaintiff in Cobell v. Salazar, will be in Green Bay today as a guest of the College of Menominee Nation. She will be speaking publicly on Wednesday at the college's main campus in Keshena about her 13-year legal battle, which arguably is the most complicated class-action suit ever brought against the federal government.

In December, the U.S. Department of Interior announced it had settled claims for $3.4 billion for mismanaging money in the Native American trust funds. The plaintiffs had asserted that the federal government had breached its responsibility to manage the trust assets and consistently refused to fix its flawed accounting system.

The dispute dates back to 1887, when Congress enacted the General Allotment Act and divided tribal lands among the tribes' individual members. An estimated 54 million acres of allotment land was held in trust by the federal government for Native American landowners. In 1934, however, the Indian Reorganization Act ended further individual allotments, but the government remained the trustee for existing individuals' lands.

In 1996, Cobell and others who signed onto the suit began litigation in an attempt to reveal gross mishandling by the federal government in its management of the Individual Indian Money accounts. Cobell, a banker, said she was unable to find out how much money was in her account, where it came from, how it was invested or whether it would ever be disbursed to her."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Cobell v. Salazar case a vital victory for Native Americans (The Green Bay Press-Gazette 6/1)

American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act:
Press Release: Baucus, Levin To Release Joint Legislation To Create Jobs, Extend Tax Cuts for Families and Businesses, Support Americans Looking for Work | Background and More Information

Cobell Settlement Documents:
Agreement | Press Release | Q&A | Audio

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