Farmers’ Class Action Lawsuit Frowned Upon by Iowa Congressman

Last month, President Obama signed a measure into law which will pay Native American and African American farmers a total of $4.6 billion in order to compensate them for years of past government mistreatment.

This came about due to the Pigford class action lawsuit in which African American farmers brought a suit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the grounds of racial discrimination. The class action lawsuit focused on promises that were made and broken for over a century to African American farmers in Iowa and throughout the nation. Also, the suit focused on the USDA's credit programs after the Civil War and how African Americans' credit applications were delayed or denied. In order for reform to be made and discrimination to stop, the Court approved a settlement for the class.

Today, there are less than 18,000 African American farms in the U.S. During the first Pigford class action settlement, there were about 15,000 cases reviewed for discrimination. Of those cases, only three were found to be questionable, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

However, Steve King, an Iowa Congressman, believes there should be an investigation into this new settlement as he states that it is "full of fraud." He indicated that funding for the Pigford cases should be halted, but he was blocked by the Rules Committee. The Iowa Congressman wants Republicans to review this issue and investigate this settlement, as he believes many people have filed false claims and will receive thousands of dollars, even if they have never farmed.

The Pigford II settlement includes changes from the first Pigford class action lawsuit to better fight fraud. Even though the legislation process has taken years, the farmers that were wronged will finally be able to take their case in front of a judge now.

If you believe you are part of a class action lawsuit, contact Iowa class action lawyers at Brady Preston Gronlund today at (319) 866-9277.

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