By Christine Clarridge, The Seattle Times
Seattle police who arrested World Trade Organization protesters four years ago had no probable cause to do so, a federal judge has ruled, possibly leaving the city vulnerable to damages from a class-action lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ruled Monday that police had no probable cause when they arrested 157 protesters at First Avenue and Broad Street on Dec. 1, 1999, during a WTO conference in Seattle.
Lawyers for the protesters contended that the city violated their clients’ First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights with the arrests, according to Victoria Ni, an attorney with Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.