The Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviews Elliott Levitas, a former U.S. Congressman from Georgia, about the Cobell Indian trust fund lawsuit.

"Q: What is the significance of the Cobell case?

A: This is clearly a historical, landmark piece of litigation. As far as I know, it is the largest class-action [lawsuit] ever brought before the federal government. It deals with a historic injustice in which the United States, our country, has mistreated Native Americans.

Q: What are the economic implications for the plaintiffs?

A: They will get compensation, not as much as they should if the settlement is implemented as currently written, but certainly for people in Indian country, which is one of the poorest areas of America, this money will make a heck of a lot of difference.

The resolution also has led to trust reform to improve records management.

Q: So, that will make it easier for the plaintiffs to manage their own land resources?

A: That is exactly right. Until this suit was brought, the beneficiaries of the trust would get misinformation or wrong information about their land ownership.

The recordkeeping was some place between bad and nonexistent."

Get the Story:
‘Clearly a ... landmark piece of litigation’ (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1/17)

Relevant Documents:
Agreement | Press Release | Q&A | Audio

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