The National Congress of American Indians and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians are supporting H.R.887, a bill to limit attorney fees in the Indian trust fund lawsuit to $50 million.

NCAI passed a resolution last week and ATNI passed a resolution in May in support of the bill. The tribal organizations say the plaintiffs' request for as much as $233 million in fees is excessive.

The objections came as Judge Thomas F. Hogan awarded $99 million to the attorneys at the conclusion of a fairness hearing in federal court yesterday. Lead counsel Dennis Gingold said the team would accept the court's decision and the Department of Justice has agreed not to challenge an award in the range of $50 million to $99.9 million.

The bill has not been approved by the House Natural Resources Committee.

Get the Story:
Tribes Seek Help on Legal Fee Payout (Roll Call 6/21)

Related Stories:
Subpoena seeks documents from Cobell lawyers by May 13 (05/04)
Republicans issue subpoena to attorneys in Cobell litigation (5/3)
Cobell critic files objection to $3.4B trust fund settlement (4/21)