The Army has advised the Cherokee tribe's attorneys that they will follow standard procedure in settling the question of compensation for the taking of the Arkansas River bed. The downstream portion of the riverbed is still in litigation between different tribes. Expert appraisers have estimated the total damage to be $42,494,536.40. The Army's general counsel will prepare a report for submission to the comptroller general, who will then decide whether a Certificate of Settlement should be issued for payment by Congress. The Cherokee attorneys acknowledged the government's honest mistake regarding ownership of the riverbed.