Lawsuit Over Wto Protests Settled

Tue., Dec. 12, 2000

From Staff

Two women who were pepper-sprayed by a King County sheriff’s deputy during the World Trade Organization protests last year have settled their lawsuit for $100,000.

Melissa Ann Benton and Shauna Ballast, students at the Art Institute of Seattle, claimed in U.S. District Court that Deputy John Vanderwalker violated their civil rights and that the county failed to supervise him properly.

The county agreed to pay $100,000 to settle their claims.

Benton and Ballast said they were parked at a supermarket parking lot filming demonstrations during the World Trade Organization meeting on Dec. 1, 1999. According to their lawsuit, Vanderwalker tried unsuccessfully to open the driver’s door, then told Benton to roll her window down and shot pepper spray into her face when she complied.

Vanderwalker, a sheriff’s patrol officer for 19 years, was fired in April for using unnecessary force during the protests.

The WTO meetings last year were marked by demonstrations involving as many as 50,000 people and rioting by a relatively small number. The downtown business district was shut down and millions of dollars in damage were reported.

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