SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Utah has ended a 17-year court battle by agreeing to pay $33 million to settle litigation over the state's management of a Navajo trust.
The money will be paid into the Utah Navajo Trust Fund, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. But that will happen only with the end of a fight over management between the Navajo Nation and two Utah Navajo groups, the Utah Dineh Corp. and the Aneth Chapter.
Utah Navajos were happy the class-action dispute with the state was over, although some said they were hoping for a larger settlement.
"There was a lot of anger and frustration, and we stood our ground," Susie Johnson-Philemon said.
The Navajo Nation, headquartered in Window Rock, Ariz., is split between Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
"We feel victorious in our corner now," said Kenneth Maryboy, a member of the Navajo Nation tribal council and a commissioner in San Juan County, Utah. "But the Navajo Nation is lobbying every day to see the trust money goes to Window Rock."
Utah Navajos hope the money, which will double the size of the trust fund, will be used to improve roads and provide education, electricity and running water for their community.
