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Topless woman gets ten grand.
A mermaid who was captured after parading topless
through Coney Island will get a $10,000 check from New York City.
Amy Gunderson, 31, had sued the city claiming her First Amendment rights
were violated when she was arrested for wearing only a thong and body
paint at the 2001 Mermaid Parade.
The city has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle the suit.
In her lawsuit, Gunderson, a model, said her rights were violated when she
was arrested June 29, 2001, for exposing her chest. The charges were
eventually dismissed.
Ronald L. Kuby, Gunderson's lawyer and a longtime judge at the parade,
said Gunderson was within her rights to be topless because her float and
costume fell within the definition of entertainment.
The parade, a Coney Island fixture for two decades, has traditionally
featured floats with topless women dressed as surf-tossed sea creatures.
But in 2001, police issued Gunderson a criminal summons for exposure, and
other topless women quickly covered up with seashells, beads and
Band-Aids.
The city admitted no wrongdoing in reaching the settlement.
"The city evaluates cases and makes business decisions every day. We felt
it was in our best interest to settle the case," said Deborah Meyer, a
city lawyer.
Source: CourtTV.com, AP, FindLaw.com, "Topless
mermaid gets payout for arrest," April 23, 2003.
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