Farm Bias Settlement Draws 15,000 Claims

Nearly 15,000 black farmers have applied for a share of a multibillion-dollar federal settlement over past discrimination, surprising government officials and plaintiffs’ attorneys who had expected far fewer claims. The class-action settlement was designed to end decades of complaints from black farmers who said they had been shut out of U.S. Agriculture Department loan programs, disaster assistance and other farm aid because of their race. “When we started the case, we thought maybe 1,000, 2,000” claims, said farmers’ lawyer Phil Fraas. “What that says is that we really are addressing some of the past wrongs.” Fraas said he expected 20,000 people to file claims by the Oct. 12 deadline. The settlement deal was struck in January and approved by a judge in April.