Topless Mermaid Gets $10,000 From New York City
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:59 am
Topless Mermaid Gets $10,000 From New York City
POSTED: 7:33 a.m. EDT April 23, 2003
NEW YORK -- 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.
In a deal announced Wednesday by Gunderson's lawyer, Ronald L. Kuby, the city will pay $10,000 to settle.
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.
Kuby, 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, said Gunderson's lawyer, Ron Kuby.
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.
POSTED: 7:33 a.m. EDT April 23, 2003
NEW YORK -- 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.
In a deal announced Wednesday by Gunderson's lawyer, Ronald L. Kuby, the city will pay $10,000 to settle.
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.
Kuby, 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, said Gunderson's lawyer, Ron Kuby.
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.