Almost 300 persons who were reportedly packed in and abused during racial justice marches will receive $21,500 (£17,900) each from New York City.
If accepted, the multimillion dollar agreement will rank among the greatest sums ever given to each individual in a mass arrest case.
Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, there were hundreds of protests around the US, including this one in the Bronx.
Five protesters' interests were represented in the class-action lawsuit.
Initially filed in October 2020, the class-action lawsuit charged the New York Police Department (NYPD) with using a "brutal response" to a racial justice demonstration that took place on June 4, 2020, in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, less than two weeks after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers.
The demonstrators were allegedly boxed in by police, a practice known as "kettling," before being restrained with plastic handcuffs and hit with batons, according to court documents.
According to the lawsuit, numerous demonstrators were "injured and bleeding" as a result of the police operation to "suppress" them. Some demonstrators passed out or were unconscious and convulsed.
The settlement agreement states that police at the event detained, arrested, or "subjected to force" about 320 persons.
"We had every right to demonstrate, however the City of New York made an unambiguous statement that day that the people of the Bronx are at will to be terrorized," Samira Sierra, 31, one of the victims, told the New York Times.
Despite the fact that the settlement states that $21,500 will be paid to "eligible class members who complete timely claim forms," it is not known how many people will be able to file claims.
According to attorneys cited by the New York Times, about 90 of the more than 300 eligible individuals have already reached separate settlements with the city.
The final cost to the city may range between $4 million and $6 million.
It is thought that the individual sum of $21,500 is the most ever for a class action lawsuit resulting from a large-scale police operation.
A federal judge granted $18,000 each to protestors detained during a 2000 demonstration that took place close to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund buildings in Washington, DC, as part of a $13.7 million settlement in 2010.
A court must still approve the agreement.
The NYPD claimed it "remains committed to consistently improving its practices in every way possible", according to news outlet Axios.
The NYPD has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
