{"id":39203,"date":"2025-09-04T23:50:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T04:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/government-reaches-18m-settlement-with-mt-sd-people-abused-by-ihs-doctor\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T23:50:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T04:50:27","slug":"government-reaches-18m-settlement-with-mt-sd-people-abused-by-ihs-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/government-reaches-18m-settlement-with-mt-sd-people-abused-by-ihs-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"Government reaches $18M settlement with MT, SD people abused by IHS doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Indian<\/a><\/p>\n

Indian Health Service, IHS (Photo: gao.gov)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) \u2014 The federal government recently finalized an $18 million settlement with a group of 12 people who were abused by an Indian Health Service doctor in Montana and South Dakota.<\/p>\n

Indian Health Service is the federal entity responsible for providing health care to members of federally recognized tribes. The agency is chronically underfunded and has long been criticized for the quality of care it provides.<\/p>\n

Dr. Stanley Patrick Weber served as a physician on the Blackfeet Reservation from 1992 to 1995 and worked at IHS on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota from 1995 to 2016. In 2018, Weber was convicted of abusing young Native American boys in Montana, and in 2019 he was convicted of the same crimes against young boys in South Dakota. He\u2019s now serving multiple life sentences in federal prison.<\/p>\n

Weber\u2019s abuse and IHS leaders\u2019 failure to stop it is well-documented. A 161-page independent report commissioned by IHS in 2020 revealed that several IHS leaders were aware of Weber\u2019s suspicious behaviors, yet failed to take action.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs would happen throughout his career, Weber\u2019s accusers were targeted by management and his position protected,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n

Despite suspicions of pedophilia on the Blackfeet Reservation, Weber was transferred to an IHS facility on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where he worked for nearly 21 years, according to the report. <\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership failed because it wanted the warnings about Weber to be untrue because if they were true, they would have to take steps that would be awkward, arduous, inconvenient, messy and embarrassing,\u201d the report found.<\/p>\n

The recent settlement is the latest in a string of lawsuits brought against the federal government related to Weber. Peter Janci, whose law firm Crew Janci LLP represented the victims in the recent settlement, said at least $32.5 million has been recovered for 20 total people who brought claims against Weber.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are some of the most egregious violations of trust that I think we\u2019ve dealt with,\u201d Janci said in an interview Thursday, adding that the law firm specializes in sexual abuse cases. \u201cHere, we had some of the most vulnerable people being exploited by someone who was in one of the most sacred positions of trust. And to make it worse, he was actively enabled by government superiors who were well aware of the danger that he posed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blackfeet Tribal Councilmember Lyle Rutherford said the consequences of Weber\u2019s actions reverberate in the community today. Some people who survived his abuse, Rutherford said, experience mental health challenges. Others lost trust in IHS.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole Weber issue is still here,\u201d he told Montana Free Press on Thursday. \u201cI have constituents who are still worried for their children being serviced by IHS. They think, \u2018This is going to happen again. How do we avoid this?\u2019 The big issue is why didn\u2019t IHS report this when they knew it was happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

IHS\u2019s handling of the Weber case has been a point of contention for the Blackfeet Nation. Blackfeet leaders have alleged that a former IHS director in 2019 promised the tribe a wellness center to rectify the harm caused by Weber, though IHS has not weighed in publicly on the matter. In June 2023, the tribe turned down a visit from then-National IHS Director Roselyn Tso, saying there had been little progress on the wellness center and the \u201cvisit would be hollow.\u201d The conflict escalated in November 2023, when the tribal council called for the removal of several IHS leaders, saying they failed to support the tribe.<\/p>\n

Rutherford told MTFP on Thursday that the dispute remains unresolved. He said the tribe is considering using American Rescue Plan Act funds for a wellness center.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by the Montana Free Press and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. <\/p>\n

The post Government reaches $18M settlement with MT, SD people abused by IHS doctor<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Indian Health Service, IHS (Photo: gao.gov) MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) \u2014 The federal government recently finalized an $18 million settlement with a group of 12 people who were abused by an Indian Health Service doctor in Montana and South Dakota. Indian Health Service is the federal entity responsible for providing health <\/p>\n

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Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> September 4, 2025<\/p>\n

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