Indian beneficiaries in Oklahoma demand release of Cobell settlement funds at this protest last year. Photo from Katherine Ware-Perosi / Change.Org
The final payment from the $3.4 billion Cobell trust fund settlement is expected within the next three months, an attorney for the plaintiffs said. Judge Thomas F. Hogan approved distribution of the payment in a court order last week. But it will take the Interior Department about a month to address property ownership records before the checks can be mailed. "We discovered they put in wrong dates for about 13,000 people, they say problem will be fixed in 30 days, so assuming that's correct, we can hope the money will come in 60-90 days," attorney David Smith told News 9 in Oklahoma. Smith is in Oklahoma this week to meet with beneficiaries who have questions about the settlement. Get the Story:
Tribal Members Seek Answers About $3.4 Billion Settlement (News 9 6/2) Relevant Documents:
Judge Hogan's Order (May 29, 2014) | Plaintiffs' Motion (May 23, 2014) Related Stories:
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