NAMES IN THE NEWS : Jackie, Indians Close to Accord
Jacqueline Onassis and the Wampanoag Indians are close to settling a dispute over a strip of Martha’s Vineyard beach-front property, attorneys for both sides said.
An agreement over the 264-foot stretch is expected at a hearing scheduled for Feb. 2, said Paul Sulla, a Boston attorney for the Wampanoag. Sulla said Tuesday that he could not discuss details he said are still being worked out.
“There have been negotiations, but we’re not quite there yet,” said Onassis attorney Brian Hurley.
Onassis bought a 17% interest in the beach property in 1980 from one of the 25 Wampanoag Indians. Since then she has waged a court battle over the remaining interest in the land, which is surrounded by her private 380-acre retreat.
She has offered a land swap and visitation rights to the areas the Wampanoag consider sacred. But the descendants of the island’s original settlers want to keep their share of the beach because they say it plays an important part in their heritage.
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