Elouise Cobell is recuperating after undergoing successful cancer surgery, according to statement issued Monday.

Cobell, the lead plaintiff in $3.4 billion Cobell v. Salazar American Indian trust settlement, is with her family following the surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the statement reads.

Cobell told the Associated Press that she was diagnosed with cancer recently but declined to say what type. She told the AP that she underwent surgery on April 22 and is planning to return to Montana after she gets her strength back, possibly next week.

Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana, has in recent months been traveling to different Indian communities across the nation talking about the settlement, which was reached in December 2010 after more than 13 years of litigation.

Cobell claimed in her suit that the federal government failed to provide a historical account for Individual Indian Money accounts, money the federal government held in trust for Native American landowners in exchange for leasing tribal land. The government either mismanaged the deposits in those accounts or failed altogether to deposit money – royalties for oil, gas, grazing and other leases – owed to tribal members.

The settlement also includes $1.9 billion for the Department of Interior to purchase checkerboard land and return it to tribes as well as up to $60 million for scholarships.

As the process to allocate settlement payments continues, Cobell was recently named among nine others to receive honorary degrees from Dartmouth College.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.