"The first payouts from a historic class-action suit against the federal government will be sent to American Indians within the week. The settlement will be split by 500,000 American Indians, including many in the Northwest.

Lead plaintiff Elouise Cobell sued the federal government 16 years ago. As treasurer of the Blackfoot Tribe in Montana, she discovered the government had mismanaged individual Indian land held in trust. A settlement was reached in 2009, but a two-year appeals process held up disbursements. Cobell died during that time. The settlement totals $3.4 billion, and is the largest class action lawsuit against the federal government.

“There has never been a suit quite like this, and it dwarfs any prior settlement of Native American interests,” says David Smith, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the Cobell settlement.

In Washington state, almost 50,000 American Indians will receive $1,000 checks within the next few weeks. Idahoans will see 5,800 payouts, and Oregon natives will see about 9,000 checks."

Get the Story:
Nearly 6,000 Idaho Natives To Receive Checks In First Round Of Settlement Payments (Boise State Public Radio 12/12)

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