NYC settles lawsuit over seizure of thousands of Occupy Wall Street books during park raid
Posted Apr 10, 2013 5:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW YORK, N.Y. – New York City has settled a lawsuit accusing it of violating the Constitution by raiding an Occupy Wall Street site, seizing 3,600 books and destroying what protesters called the People’s Library.
The books were taken Nov. 15, 2011, when police raided a Manhattan park where the Occupy group had gathered to protest income inequality. The lawsuit said books seized from Zuccotti Park included Shakespeare classics and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s autobiography.
Attorney Norman Siegel filed the lawsuit for Occupy last year. He said Tuesday the city and park owner Brookfield Properties have agreed to pay more than $230,000 to settle it.
A spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department says “sometimes cases are settled to avoid drawn-out litigation that bolsters plaintiff attorney fees.” Brookfield hasn’t responded to a telephone request for comment.
