NYC judge approves settlement of up to $6 million for protesters roughed up by NYPD during George Floyd demonstration
A Manhattan judge on Friday approved an up to $6 million settlement agreement between New York City and protesters roughed up by the NYPD during a Bronx demonstration spurred by the death of George Floyd.
U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon signed off on the deal filed on Tuesday, according to court papers, paving the way for a third-party administrator to begin notifying everyone who may have a claim, which is estimated to be around 300 people.
The city has agreed to pay $21,500 to everyone who demonstrated against police brutality and systemic racism in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx on June 4, 2020. People who got summonses rather than desk appearance tickets and were detained for longer periods, will get an additional $2,500. The payout is expected to amount to up to $6 million when finalized.
Lawyers for the demonstrators say it will represent the largest ever per-person class-action settlement connected to mass arrests at a protest.
NYPD officers in riot gear employed a tactic known as “kettling” to barricade protesters on E. 136th St., footage of the chaotic event showed. Police refused to let protesters disperse, pepper sprayed them and hit them with batons while their hands were behind their backs in zip ties.
The settlement is part of a much larger consolidated set of class-action lawsuits that allege the NYPD violated demonstrators’ civil rights during the monthslong protests over Floyd’s killing. This deal doesn’t cover most people involved in the broader case.