American Indians Offer to Settle Suit (against Interior Dept.)

[maddezmom]

By JOHN HEILPRIN
38 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - American Indians suing the Interior Department for more than a century's worth of lost royalties said Monday they were willing to settle for $27.5 billion if Congress agreed not to draw the money from other Indian Country programs.

The class-action lawsuit has lingered in U.S. District Court here for nine years. During that time a federal judge has held both Interior Secretary Gale Norton and her predecessor, Bruce Babbitt, in contempt for failing to come up with an accounting of what the American Indians are owed.

A group of American Indian plaintiffs filed the suit in 1996 on behalf of 300,000, accusing the department of mismanaging oil, gas, grazing, timber and other royalties from American Indian lands dating back to 1887.

Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in the case, said American Indian leaders have agreed on 50 "principles" for a settlement, including a calculation that the royalties plus compounded interest on them total $176 billion.

~snip~
more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050620/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/indian_money/nc:693;_

[bemildred]

1. Gee, I predict the government will stall some more ... nt