Federal lawsuit filed in 2009 G20 arrests

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Twenty-five people arrested at the 2009 G20 Pittsburgh summit say they're suing the city and its police department for allegedly violating their civil rights.

In the federal suit they allege police pepper-sprayed them for no reason, denied them medical treatment and sexually harassed them, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Wednesday.

"When I was getting frisked on the lawn, an officer told me I was going to be his girlfriend," Casey Brander, now a senior at Carnegie Mellon University said. She claims she spent 20 hours under arrest following protests against the Group of 20 economic summit.

"Officers were calling us 'hot' and calling us derogatory names," she said. "It was just a really draining experience. I was pretty traumatized by it."

Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the plaintiffs are asking for monetary damages and a declaration that the city violated their rights to free assembly and freedom from false arrest, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Solicitor Daniel Regan said the city is reviewing the suit and "will answer the allegations through our attorneys in our pleadings. The city is prepared to defend itself against any baseless or frivolous claims."

Pittsburgh joins cities including Seattle, Philadelphia and Washington that have had to defend themselves against lawsuits claiming police misconduct at demonstrations.

Many cities have paid settlements in the millions of dollars, the Tribune-Review said.