NYC to Pay $17.5M in Hijab Mug Shot Settlement

New York City reached an agreement to pay $17.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who said police violated their rights when they were told to remove their hijabs before taking mug shots.

The NYPD, in response to the lawsuit, changed its policy in 2020 to allow religion-based head coverings to be worn in photographs if the garments did not obstruct faces. Damages from the settlement will total just over $13 million after lawyers' fees and administrative costs are deducted and will be divided among at least 3,600 people, who each could qualify for compensation of $7,000 to $13,000.

"When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked; I'm not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt," Clark said in a statement. "I'm so proud today to have played a part in getting justice for thousands of New Yorkers."

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