A group of Native Americans sued the federal government this week, arguing that the Bureau of Indian Affairs mismanaged oil and gas payments for an estimated 10,000 people.
The five plaintiffs are members of the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations — and they said members of the Creek, Cherokee and Seminole nations also could be part of the case.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs told the U.S. Court of Federal Claims they sometimes received no payments for their mineral rights and in other instances got only partial payments. They alleged that the government breached its duty to act as a trustee and fiduciary for the tribal members.
The Native Americans are seeking an order requiring the U.S. government to help account for all of the funds owed to the tribal members and for damages and attorneys’ fees. The plaintiffs argued that federal agencies are continuing to mismanage Native American oil and gas leases, despite a landmark settlement in Cobell vs. Salazar in 2009 that required the government to pay $3.4 billion in restitution for decades of underpayments.
