FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 7, 2002 www.indiantrust.com COBELL PLAINTIFFS ASK JUDGE TO ORDER NORTON TO ISSUE IIM TRUST CHECKS IMMEDIATELY "The only plan with any detail that defendants have articulated is for fish." WASHINGTON, D.C. - Indian plaintiffs today asked the federal judge presiding over contempt proceedings for Interior Secretary Gale Norton to order Norton to end a month of foot-dragging and issue payments to Individual Indian Monies (IIM) trust beneficiaries immediately, "in light of extremely troubling evidence that has recently come to light." U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered Interior to disconnect its trust-related systems from the Internet on Dec. 5 because vital trust accounting data is unprotected from hackers. Interior claims the disconnect makes it impossible to process checks for 43,000 IIM trust beneficiaries. In court papers filed today, the Cobell plaintiffs said Interior has refused to take advantage of a subsequent ruling by Lamberth - drafted by lawyers for Interior - that would allow it to bring systems back on line, under court supervision, to issue the checks immediately. At the same time, Interior has processed the payroll for its own employees and sought special, "emergency" permission to reconnect two of its agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, to the Web. "More than a month has passed since the [Dec. 5] Temporary Restraining Order was entered, and the only remedial plan with any workable detail that defendants have articulated is for fish," the plaintiffs said. "Although defendants.have recently generated a flurry of paper attempting to appear to be intent on accomplishing something, their legendary lack of actual accomplishment when it comes to Indian matters remains intact." "The Secretary's payroll deposits have been made without interruption and will undoubtedly continue to be made without interruption; regional fire control centers can communicate and coordinate wildfire information; general assistance checks have been brought current; the Interior geologists are able to transmit data on rock samples from Alaska to Albuquerque; and, through the miracle of technology, somehow the Secretary - and apparently other Interior employees - is able to send and receive e-mail. "Unsurprisingly, the Secretary chooses to play politics and tactical games with individuals' trust monies. Such willful malfeasance should not be countenanced by this Court any longer." Lamberth said in court today he will schedule a hearing soon on the Cobell plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction to force Norton to comply. ##### To subscribe to the Indian Trust mailing list, please click on the following link (if available) or paste it into your browser: http://www.indiantrust.com/