N.Y. Will Settle Attica Riot Case for $8 Million

New York state agreed Tuesday to pay $8 million to inmates caught up in the 1971 Attica riot, settling a 25-year-old lawsuit over the nation’s deadliest prison uprising.

The money will go to 1,280 inmates--or their survivors--who claimed they were tortured, beaten and denied medical treatment in the aftermath of the revolt and authorities’ bloody efforts to put it down. The original class-action suit, filed in 1974, sought $100 million.

State police launched an all-out assault on the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo on Sept. 13, 1971, the fifth day of the uprising. More than 2,000 rounds of ammunition were fired in six minutes.

In all, 32 inmates and 11 correction officers died, most of them killed during the raid. Hundreds more were wounded.

In agreeing to settle, the state admitted no wrongdoing. It also agreed to pay the inmates’ lawyers up to $4 million in legal fees and costs.

Inmates or their heirs must contact plaintiffs’ lawyers to be included in the settlement. U.S. District Judge Michael Telesca will hold hearings in February to give claimants a chance to object to the terms of the settlement. He said he expects a final deal to be reached by the end of the year.

Frank “Big Black” Smith, who helped lead the revolt, thanked the judge for helping resolve the protracted dispute.

It was not clear how many people would come forward and claim compensation.