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Dinosaur hunters reach deal to settle western South Dakota fossil theft dispute

Paleontologist accused of stealing triceratops found in Harding County agrees to $300,000 settlement

Jonathan Ellis's avatar
Jonathan Ellis
Oct 23, 2025
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a statue of a dinosaur
Photo by Richard Martin on Unsplash

A paleontologist accused of stealing a dinosaur skull from western South Dakota will pay $300,000 to end a years-long saga over the whereabouts of a fossil that could be worth millions.

In return, Montana-based fossil hunter Forest Rush agreed to drop a counterclaim he filed in response to a 2023 lawsuit by a Texas-based company that hired him nearly a decade ago to lead digs for prehistoric remains in Harding County.

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