Homeless in California could receive $2.3 mil

Jet, July 21, 2008

In a $2.3 million settlement, more than 200 homeless people in Fresno, CA, may be compensated for clothes, blankets, medicine and other personal belongings that they claimed were taken from them during a series of 14 raids by the California Department of Transportation and the city of Fresno.

The settlement, which is expected to be approved on July 25 by the defendants and the city, includes money for lost property, medical care, legal fees and new housing opportunities.

According to USA Today, Alan Autry, mayor of Fresno, believes that the law suit is extreme and calls it a "white-collar exploitation of the homeless."

The Fresno Bee reports that in May, a judge ruled that Fresno did violate the rights of the homeless, specifically the Fourth Amendment that speaks to "unreasonable searches and seizures."

Michael Risher, the lawyer who represents the homeless in the class-action suit, says because the sum of the court settlement is so high, other cities should note that even though homeless people may seem vulnerable, their rights are still protected and should not be violated.

Wire reports