NYC to pay $17.5M to settle suit over forced removal of religious head coverings during mug shots
By KAREN MATTHEWS
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their head coverings to be photographed after they were arrested. The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2018 by Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, two Muslim women who said they felt exposed when they were forced to remove their hijabs after they were arrested in separate 2017 incidents. The settlement was filed Friday and requires approval by a federal judge. The proceeds from the settlement will be shared by the approximately 4,100 eligible class members.