Northern Cheyenne to Distribute Settlement Money

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Northern Cheyenne Tribe plans to distribute checks for $2,000 each to more than 10,500 enrolled tribal members with part of a settlement from the federal government over mismanaged of money and tribal trust lands.

The tribe received $50 million and estimates it will distribute slightly more than $21 million to members on Friday and Saturday in Lame Deer. The Billings Gazette reports tribal officials have not decided what to do with the remaining $29 million.

The tribe was one of 44 in the United States that filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over money lost in mismanaged accounts and royalties from natural resource development. The lawsuit was settled in March for $1 billion.

The tribal suit is separate from a $3.4 billion class-action lawsuit over individual trust funds.