New York City Settles With 14 Occupy Protesters For $583,000

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has agreed to pay nearly $600,000 to settle allegations that police wrongfully arrested a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters during a march on New Year's Day 2012.

That's according to lawyers for the 14 demonstrators. They say the $583,000 pact is the largest single settlement to date in an Occupy-related civil rights lawsuit.

Attorneys from the firm Stecklow Cohen & Thompson will detail the settlement at a news conference Tuesday. The city hasn't commented.

The protesters say they were walking in Manhattan when police boxed them in and ordered them to disperse but then prevented them from doing so. They were arrested on disorderly conduct charges that got dismissed.

A city lawyer had said the arrests followed "a very rowdy and tumultuous march."