Tagged: Cobell vs Salazar

After 16 years of legal proceedings, US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has approved the final settlement of the Cobell class action law suit. Native Americans sued the federal government over mismanagement of tribal royalties and land, which has been held in trust by the federal government since the 1800s. The suit accused the government of mismanaging $150 billion in royalties, but the settlement is for $3.4 billion. Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming has 6,000-8,000 beneficiaries.