UC Davis Settles for $1M Over Pepper Spraying

The university will pay $1 million as part of the settlement. This includes a total of $730,000 to the named plaintiffs and others who were arrested or pepper-sprayed on Nov. 18. It will also include up to $250,000 in costs and attorney fees.

The University of California, Davis, has agreed to pay $1 million to the 21 students who were pepper-sprayed in November 2011 and their attorneys who filed the federal class-action lawsuit.

The university will pay $1 million as part of the settlement. This includes a total of $730,000 to the named plaintiffs and others who were arrested or pepper-sprayed on Nov. 18. It will also include up to $250,000 in costs and attorney fees.

The UC Regents approved the settlement in a Sept. 13 meeting, and the settlement documents were filed with the court on Wednesday. A federal court judge must approve the settlement before it is finalized, the ACLU announced.

"I want to make sure that nothing like this happens again," said Fatima Sbeih, who just graduated with an international studies degree." That's the best thing that could come from this. Since Nov. 18, students have been afraid of the police. The university still needs to work to rebuild students' trust and this settlement is a step in the right direction."

Sbeih was pepper-sprayed on the quad. The ACLU claims she had panic attacks and frequent nightmares for months after the incident, and often woke up screaming.

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