The settlement is over claims that the U.S. government shorted tribes for years on contract costs to manage law enforcement, education and other federal services.
On Wednesday, attorneys representing the tribes learnt that a federal judge in Albuquerque approved the agreement. This comes months after the Interior Department and tribal leaders announced they had reached a proposed settlement in the class-action lawsuit. The proposed settlement was for $940 million.
The judge’s ruling also authorizes a reimbursement of $1.2 million for the lead plaintiff’s costs, as well as an agreement for the attorneys to receive a little more than 8 percent of the final settlement amount.
Michael Gross, an attorney for the tribes, said that the end results was that the settlement was met with no objections and there were no objections to the fee request.
Around 700 tribes or tribal agencies are expected to claim compensation. The amounts will range from around $8,000 for some Alaska Native villages and communities to $58 million for the Navajo Nation.
Some of the underfunded federal contracts date back to the 70s, when a change in policy allowed tribes to gain more oversight of federal programs that were meant to fulfill obligations that were established through agreements.
