In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in March dismissing its $600 breach of trust case against the Department of the Interior, the Navajo Nation is seeking a jury trial for a $1.8 billion civil lawsuit against Peabody Western Coal Company. The Nation is upset with the Interior Secretary’s 1987 approval of a 12.5 percent royalty rate for Navajo-owned coal, issued after the Bureau of Indian Affairs made a recommendation for 20 percent. In an ongoing and costly legal battle, Peabody motioned to dismiss the case earlier this month. A U.S. District Court has yet to rule on the case.
