Upwards of 50,000 members of the Navajo Nation could qualify for a share of $3.4 billion settlement for the Cobell trust fund lawsuit, the leader of an allottees group said.

Ervin Chavez, the president of Shi Shi Kéyah, is urging Navajo landowners to participate in the settlement. Claim forms for the Trust Administration Class are due by September 16.

"Elders have passed on — lots of people have passed on — waiting for this settlement," Chavez told The Farmington Daily Times. "It tears your heart out to see elderlies waiting and waiting for any settlement."

Most beneficiaries will automatically receive $1,000 as part of the Historical Accounting Class. The payment for the Trust Administration Class will depend on the amount in a person's Individual Indian Money (IIM) account.

The minimum payment for the Trust Administration Class is $800 but some landowners are eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Get the Story:
Cobell settlement in final stages (The Farmington Daily Times 8/2)

Relevant Documents:
Order Granting Final Approval To Settlement | Exhibit A and Exhibit B

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