New York City agrees to pay (Iraq war) protesters $2 million (lawsuit settlement )

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - New York City has agreed to pay a $2 million settlement to protesters arrested during a 2003 rally against the Iraq war who said their civil rights had been violated, lawyers for both sides said on Tuesday.

The 52 plaintiffs in the lawsuit were among 94 protesters arrested on April 7, 2003, during a demonstration at the midtown Manhattan offices of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm with holdings in the defense sector.

"The New York Police Department violated core constitutional rights when it arrested a group of peaceful demonstrators who were lawfully protesting against the commencement of the Iraq war and those who stood to profit from it," said Sarah Netburn, a lawyer for the protesters.

In a statement, a lawyer for New York City confirmed the size of the settlement.

"This settlement was reached without any admission of liability on behalf of the city and the individual defendants," said Susan Halatyn, senior counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division for New York City.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N19361236.htm

[pleah]

1. Good for them, but, why do cases like this (and many others)

always have this attached: "This settlement was reached without any admission of liability on behalf of the city and the individual defendants"? Because the city/police never admit to doing anything wrong.
Or is the judgment against them the same as admitting guilt?

K&R

[Kelvin Mace]

2. Any settlement that involves none admission of liability

seems pretty meaningless to me.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. $38,461.54 apiece adds a modicum of justice.

:shrug:

[Shakespeare]

5. That's SOP for any legal settlement.

Doesn't mean it's meaningless, just means that's the way these things are done (I work in the legal field, and am working on 2 settlements as I write this).

[Supersedeas]

4. Nothing to see here -- feed them more pictures of Condi smiling in Poland