Settlement in 2003 Chicago protest lawsuit

CHICAGO (AP) – Attorneys say the city of Chicago has reached a $6.2 million settlement over a class-action lawsuit that accused police of arresting people en masse during a 2003 Iraq war demonstration without cause.

Plaintiffs' lawyer Joey Mogul says both sides announced the agreement Thursday in federal court in Chicago.

The case has attracted added scrutiny because Chicago is set to host G-8 and NATO summits later this year and the spotlight will be on how it deals with thousands of expected demonstrators.

In 2003, hundreds of people became blocked in on a street during the protest and many were hauled to jail without justification.

Mogul calls the 2003 event "shameful." She says the lawsuit may indicate Chicago has learned its lesson but that the upcoming summits will show if that's true.