D.C. Police Union Chief Kristopher Baumann joined the call from city council members for a criminal investigation into the destruction of evidence in the World bank/IMF protest case where hundreds of people were arrested without probable cause and many hogtied by police. The New York Times has also run an article on the recent report by former Judge Stan Sporkin finding that the evidence was presumptively destroyed on purpose.
As lead counsel in one of the two cases (with my colleague Daniel Schwartz of Bryan Cave), I am limited in what I can say on the case.
However, the City Paper reports that Baumann stated “[t]here needs to be an independent prosecutor set up. There’s a host of potential criminal charges ranging from perjury to obstruction of justice. That’s just what we know….We don’t know that much. What we do know is terrible. What goes on past that is a question obviously someone needs to come in and tear this all apart.”
There is a hearing scheduled for December 17th before Judge Sullivan who previously stated that he is considering a criminal referral in the case.
Here is the City Paper story, here.
Vince,
Thanks for the updates.
Go get ’em, Prof.!
Update: The settlement did not appear to affect the parallel case brought by JT (who, as lead counsel in one of the two cases, has said that he is limited in what he can say on the case).
This will clarify things a little, quoted without comment from the Washington Post, Wed. Dec. 16th:
“The settlement reached Tuesday does not end the Pershing Park saga.
“Four bystanders rounded up by police that day are represented by separate lawyers and are not part of the class-action suit.
“One of their attorneys, Jonathan Turley, said he is scheduled to meet with Nickles for the first time Tuesday to discuss a possible settlement.
“But he seems to be itching for a courtroom brawl.
“‘We are preparing for trial,'” Turley said. ”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/15/AR2009121504943.html
Hot Dang!
Well, I hope that there is some good news at last in this case:
QUOTE
DC agrees to $8.25M settlement for protest arrests
(AP) – 3 hours ago
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for a group of 400 people swept up in a mass arrest of protesters in 2002 say the District of Columbia has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for about $8.25 million.
According to the settlement announced Tuesday, nearly 400 people arrested in 2002 at Pershing Park near the White House will receive about $18,000 each.
Lawyers representing the group say police encircled the park during a protest of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Officers then arrested demonstrators, tourists and others without warning. The plaintiffs allege some were bound for 24 hours.
The deal follows another $13 million settlement last month for arrests in 2000.
D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles did not immediately respond for a request for comment.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbb7iGnxCsqWHyxC3vbVY4xjaqfgD9CK01G01
“If today’s settlement is approved, it will leave one final unresolved suit over the Pershing Park arrests — the so-called “Chang case.” D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said he was meeting with lawyers in the four-plaintiff suit this afternoon to discuss a potential settlement. It will be the first time the two sides have sat down for negotiations.
“We don’t have any idea what we’re going into because we’ve never had a conversation with the attorney general about settling,” said Chang attorney Daniel Schwartz, a partner with Bryan Cave.”
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/12/dc-agrees-to-pershing-park-settlement-of-825-million.html
This settlement comes right after JT told us that he was in a day long deposition on the case. It follows earlier evidence of a coverup and and a coverup of the coverup.
Good work, JT.
So what’s the problem? People just have no sense of direction. Don’t they realize that after all we are speaking of the corporate diety. Thou shalt have no other Gods before greenbacked dead presidents or Samuel Chase varities.