MEETINGS IN ALASKA REGARDING COBELL SETTLEMENT

Class Counsel in the Cobell v. Jewell (formerly Cobell v. Salazar) lawsuit will be holding meetings in Alaska to answer questions regarding the Settlement on June 9, 2014 with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council at the following location:

June 9, 2014
The Rasmuson Conference Center
3600 San Jeronimo Dr
Anchorage, AK 99508

With Class Counsel will be representatives of the Garden City Group, the Claims Administrator for the Settlement, who will be available to assist individuals in determining eligibility for the Settlement and the status of any claim.

In addition, the Claims Administrator, Garden City Group, will set up a booth at the NCAI Mid Year Conference on June 9 and 10, 2014 at the following location:

June 9 & 10, 2014 from 9 am – 11 am
Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center
600 W 7th Ave
Anchorage, AK 99501

There are thousands of individuals entitled to participate in the Cobell Settlement who are members of Alaskan tribes but the Department of Interior has no addresses for them and are considered “whereabouts unknown.” There are also Class Members who have passed away and the Interior has been unable to identify the heirs of those individuals. We encourage anyone who believes they may be entitled to participate in the settlement to attend one of these meetings. They should bring with them:

  • Personal documentation including tribal ID.
  • Documents showing any IIM account number.
  • Probate orders, if any, for family members who may be class members but have passed away.

The Cobell case was filed in 1996, settled in December 2009, was approved by Congress in December 2010, and received final court approval in November 2012. The total settlement, $3.5 billion, is currently the largest class action settlement against the federal government. The case resolves certain claims relating to mismanagement of individual Indian money (“IIM”) accounts and individual trust assets by the federal government. There are approximately 500,000 individuals who are eligible to participate in this settlement. This includes principally individuals who had IIM accounts between approximately 1985 and September 30, 2009 and individuals who owned trust or restricted land as of September 30, 2009.