The federal judge handling the Indian trust fund lawsuit held a hearing this morning amid Congressional inaction on the $3.4 billion settlement to the case.

Judge Thomas Hogan inherited the 14-year-old lawsuit in June. He said it was clear that the federal government is liable for failing to account for billions of dollars of Indian trust funds.

The plaintiffs and the Obama administration agreed to a $3.4 billion settlement to end the case. But Congress has yet to finalize the deal.

The parties agreed to wait until January 7 to give lawmakers more time to consider the settlement. Hogan said the new deadline represents "perhaps one last chance" for approval of the deal.

Get the Story:
Cobell Settlement Deadline Extended to Jan. 2011 (The Blog of Legal Times 10/15)

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

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