No, his friend got the money ($20,000) as part of the Internment Camp Reparations legislation that was passed in 1988.
Some got money early due to court cases. . . I could have sworn she said it was $25,000 she got. It may be the legislation set a lower amount to avoid the higher amount the courts were ordering.
I distinctly recall that when our friend got her check my older daughter was still in elementary school, because I did a presentation for her GATE class on the internment based on the violation of the Constitution. Had that legislation been the source of her windfall for her investment in MS, my older daughter would have been in middle school, and I would no longer be involved in her classes. I know she got her reparations money earlier than 1988 and it was for her time in the camp in Cincinnati where she was born. She came with me to talk about what happened to her parents. My recollection was that it was around 1984-1985, when my daughter was in fourth or fifth grade.
I just checked with my friend who is a member of my conservative email list, so I just queried her about what happened. She said she and her parents were part of a separate law suit initiated in the late 70s. There had been several other successful suits from internees. The children born of the plaintiffs had to appeal to get included. Her parents and other plaintiffs one their suit in 1980 and the children's appeal was successful 1983, the settlement included in the budget for 1984. She did buy a two year old used car with part of the settlement, but put $25,000 into MS at the IPO with the rest of the payment.