American Indian lawsuit sparked by Montana woman being heard
Oct 10, 2007 07:26 AM CDT
Reporting from KPAX in Missoula
Some 11 years ago a woman from Montana sued the federal Interior Department over money owed to Native Americans and over time that suit by Elouise Cobell of Browning became the largest class action ever filed against the U.S. government.
Come Wednesday Cobell will be in a federal courtroom in Washington, D.C. as her case goes to trial for the second time. At issue is whether or nit the government can provide an accounting for money that it held in trust for half a 500,000 people.
Cobell believes that if she wins it could be the key to ending the lawsuit.
"Then we can come up with an amount that is due Indian beneficiaries. Actually it's called the remedy. And then we would be able to come up with a rough justice figure about how much is owed. I think we're a huge step closer to people getting their money."
Cobell and her lawyers believe the government could owe Native Americans hundreds of billions of dollars in principal and interest dating back to the 1800's.
Two years ago Cobell's legal team offered to settle the case for $27 billion.
For a full list of documents that have been produced in this ongoing (since 1996) litigation:
see Indian Trust: Cobell v. Kempthorne
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The Native Peoples Law Caucus is an organization of information professionals who belong to the American Association of Law Libraries. The Caucus provides a forum in which Native law and other issues that impact Indigenous Peoples worldwide can be discussed, ideas shared, information exchanged, and education offered. The Caucus encourages and facilitates the analysis, cataloging, collection, dissemination, management, organization, and preservation of Native law in accordance with cultural tradition.
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