OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — One of five regional additional tribal consultations concerning a lawsuit over past mismanagement of American Indian land royalties by the federal government will be held in Oklahoma City.
U.S. Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes says a consultation regarding the land consolidation component in the so-called Cobell lawsuit will be Oct. 6 in Oklahoma City.
Other consultations are set for Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 18; Seattle on Sept. 16; Albuquerque, N.M. on Sept. 27 and Phoenix on Sept. 29.
Last month, a judge approved a $3.4 billion settlement over claims that U.S. officials during the last century stole or squandered billions in land royalties meant for American Indians in exchange for oil, gas, grazing and other leases. The lawsuit’s beneficiaries are estimated to be 500,000 or more Indians.
