Vi Waln: Settlement in Indian trust fund case benefits just a handful

By Vi Waln
Excerpt: "I believe the only people who will greatly benefit from this settlement, according to the notice I received, are the handful of plaintiffs who originally filed and their attorneys. The attorneys stand to walk away with anywhere from $99.9 to $223 million dollars. The notice also states “incentive awards and expense reimbursements” would be made to Elouise Pepion Cobell ($2 million dollars), James Louis LaRose ($200,000), Thomas Maulson ($150,000) and Penny Cleghorn ($150,000)."
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Vi Waln is Sicangu Lakota and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Her columns were awarded first place in the South Dakota Newspaper Association 2010 contest. She is Editor of the Lakota Country Times and can be reached through email at vi@lakotacountrytimes.com