Local tribes to receive cash infusion

Local Native American Tribes are set to receive portions of a nearly $1 billion settlement reached with the government in a class action lawsuit filed in 1990.

The lawsuit was originally filed in U.S. District Court in New Mexico by the Ramah Navajo Chapter because the government underpaid the tribes for administration of contracts for programs such as health and social services.

The settlement amount was $940 million. After the attorneys shave off nearly $80 million of that amount, and another $5 million to $6 million goes to cover costs, what’s left is being allocated among about 700 tribes...