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Lawsuit Settled Over Flag-Burning Arrest at GOP Convention

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CLEVELAND (AP) – The city of Cleveland will pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a protester arrested during a flag-burning at the Republican National Convention in 2016.

Steven Fridley of Cleveland was one of more than 15 people arrested near the site of the GOP convention. A judge threw out the charges against him.

He then sued the city and police, saying they unlawfully prosecuted him for exercising his free-speech rights.

Fridley’s attorney announced this week that the city had agreed to settle the lawsuit.

Cleveland’s law director confirmed the payout, but she tells cleveland.com that the city denies any liability and disputes Fridley’s version of the facts.