Washington, D.C. – JAMS, the largest private provider of mediation and arbitration services worldwide, announced that Hon. Richard A. Levie (Ret.) has been appointed Special Master in the Cobell v. Salazar settlement. Judge Levie will oversee distribution of approximately $1.5 billion to individual Indian trust beneficiaries.
Payments of $1,000 to more than 327,000 Historical Accounting Class members are underway. Payments to the Trust Administration Class will be made next year after a seven-month process of identifying all the class members is completed. One of Judge Levie’s principal responsibilities will be to resolve disputes over the eligibility for participation by claimants in the Trust Administration Class distributions.
The lawsuit is named after Montana Blackfeet woman Elouise Cobell who spearheaded the lawsuit, but died of cancer in 2011, after the settlement was reached but before the end of the appeals process.
Judge Levie and JAMS bring a substantial amount of experience to Cobell as the adjudicators of previous high profile government settlements, including Keepseagle and Pigford I. Judge Levie has served as a special master and referee in some of the nation’s largest, most complex cases assisting the parties and the courts. Earlier in his career he served for 15 years as a judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court, during which time he also sat by designation on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
About JAMS, The Resolution Experts
Founded in 1979, JAMS, The Resolution Experts is the largest private provider of mediation and arbitration services worldwide. With Resolution Centers nationwide and abroad, JAMS and its more than 300 exclusive neutrals are responsible for resolving thousands of the world’s important cases. JAMS may be reached at 800-352-5267.