United States, Tribes Seek Final Approval Of Class Settlement, Attorney Fees

(January 14, 2016, 8:20 AM EST) -- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the lone objection resolved, Native American tribes and the federal government on Jan. 8 asked a New Mexico federal judge to grant final approval of a $940 million settlement and more than $80 million in attorney fees and costs for a dispute over decades-old claims that the government underpaid tribes and tribal contractors to operate Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) programs (Ramah Navajo Chapter, et al. v. Sally Jewell, et al., No. 90-957, D. N.M.)....