New York City could pay Black Lives Matter protesters $21K each over rights 'violations' in 2020

New York City would pay hundreds who were arrested during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests thousands of dollars each as part of a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit that accuses the city's police department of "violations of their rights under the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments."

According to a court filing, the city would pay each of the protesters in the lawsuit $21,500, if the settlement is approved by a judge. An additional $2,500 would be given to those who were issued "Desk Appearance Tickets," which require an individual to appear in court at a particular date and time to respond to accusations of a crime.

If approved, the settlement is estimated to cost the city between $4 million and $6 million, considering that only about 90 of the 300 people in attendance at the June 4, 2020, protest have already settled with the city out of court.

The protests took place just days following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, which sparked similar protests in cities across the country.