The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the Indian trust fund lawsuit on Monday.

The outcome of the appeal will determine how much money, if any, is owed to beneficiaries of the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust. The federal government has been unable to provide a historical accounting of the funds owned by individual Indians.

The plaintiffs are seeking billions of dollars while the federal government claims the lawsuit can't result in a money award. A federal judge said the plaintiffs were entitled to $455.6 million.

The case will be heard by Judge David B. Sentelle, Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg and Judge A. Raymond Randolph in Courtroom 20. The court's calendar lists it as the final argument of the panel.

D.C. Circuit Order:
Cobell v. Salazar (March 13, 2009)

Lower Court Decision:
Cobell v. Kempthorne (August 7, 2008)

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