USDA to pay American Indian farmers $680M in discrimination lawsuit

Class-action lawsuit claimed American Indians weren't treated fairly in farm loan programs

BY CHRIS CASTEEL | Published: October 20, 2010 Comment on this article

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WASHINGTON — American Indian farmers who experienced discrimination in federal farm programs will share up to $680 million under a legal settlement announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The settlement will end an 11-year-old class-action lawsuit brought by American Indian farmers contending they didn't get the same consideration for low-interest farm loans as white farmers. A former USDA economist estimated that American Indians suffered actual losses of $776 million between 1981 and 2007 because of the unequal treatment.

One of the lead plaintiffs in the case is Porter Holder, an Oklahoma member of the Choctaw Nation; the other lead plaintiffs are from North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. The settlement is expected to reach thousands of American Indians nationwide, though it isn't known how many Oklahomans may ultimately qualify.

In addition to the $680 million in damages, USDA will forgive $80 million in outstanding farm loan debt for members of the class and create new initiatives to improve the department's services for American Indians.

Unlike other recent large settlements involving American Indian trust accounts and black farmer discrimination, the settlement will not have to be approved by Congress.

Marilyn Keepseagle, one of the North Dakota farmers for whom the lawsuit came to be named, said Tuesday that the settlement "will help thousands of Native Americans who are still farming and ranching.

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