Almost a year after the notorious UC Davis pepper-spraying incident, the injured and arrested students have reached a nearly $1 million settlement with the school.

Each of the 21 protestors will receive $30,000, with $250,000 given to their attorneys, paid for by the UC system’s self-insurance program. The settlement still needs to be approved in federal court, although the UC has already set aside about $100,000 to pay a maximum of $20,000 to any other students who may join the now class-action lawsuit. The university has also pledged to aid students whose academic performance was hurt by the pepper-spray incidents.

The students were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, with about $20,000 of the settlement funds going towards the ACLU’s upcoming effort with the school to create new policies and methods to handle student demonstrations.

According to county prosecutors, campus police who used the pepper spray on students will not be facing criminal charges as there is not enough evidence to prove the use of force was illegal.

The settlement also includes a formal written apology to each affected student and alumni from UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi.

— Staff Report

Print