How many American Indians accounts did the Cobell lawsuit ask the federal government to provide accounting for?
300,000 individual IndianThe Native American Rights Fund and private co-counsel filed this class action case in federal district court in Washington, D.C. in 1996 to force the federal government to provide an accounting to approximately 300,000 individual Indian money account holders who have their funds held in trust by the federal government ...
What is the purpose of the Cobell lawsuit?
It was settled in 2009. The plaintiffs claim that the U.S. government has incorrectly accounted for the income from Indian trust assets, which are legally owned by the Department of the Interior, but held in trust for individual Native Americans (the beneficial owners).
What award did Ms Cobell win during the time of the trial?
Besides her MacArthur grant and status as a warrior, the Montana Trial Lawyers Association gave Cobell its annual Citizens Award in 2011.
What is a Cobell?
The Cobell Scholarship funds Native students who pursue post-secondary education. Read this guide to learn how to get it!
How much was the Cobell settlement?
$3.4 billionThe Cobell settlement was approved by Congress on November 30, 2010 (Claims Resolution Act of 2010) and signed by President Obama on December 8, 2010. The $3.4 billion Cobell Settlement includes a $1.9 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund and $1.5 billion in direct payments to class members.
How can I check my IIM account?
The individual may obtain a statement of their IIM account directly from the Office of Trust Funds Management through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) by requesting the information in person or by making a telephone request.
What did Elouise Cobell do?
She founded the first land trust in Indian Country and served as a Trustee for the Nature Conservancy of Montana. Cobell died at the age of 65 on October 16, 2011, in Great Falls, Montana, after a brief battle with cancer.
What was Eloise's lawsuit about?
It claimed that the Interior Department had stolen or squandered billions of dollars in royalties owed to individual tribal members, mostly in the West, in exchange for oil, gas and other leases.
Is the Cobell Scholarship renewable?
The Cobell Scholarship is annual, non-renewable, and available to any post-secondary (after high school) student who is: an enrolled member of a US Federally-recognized Tribe (or can prove ¼ descent from multiple tribes), enrolled in or plans to enroll in full-time study and is degree-seeking while attending any ...