DC agrees to pay $175,000 settlement to journalists detained while covering Trump inauguration

The District of Columbia has agreed to pay two journalists $175,000 to settle a lawsuit in which the alleged to have been unlawfully detained while covering protests and vandalism in January 2017 during Donald Trump's presidential inauguration.

Aaron Cantu, a California-based writer, and Alexei Wood, a Colorado-based photojournalist, will split the settlement, minus legal fees, a spokesperson for the pair said Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

Wood and Cantu were arrested and faced charges including rioting. Wood was acquitted at trial in December 2021, and the charges against Cantu were later dropped by prosecutors. 

"Nothing in this agreement is an admission of liability, duty, or wrongdoing by any party or an admission that any policy, practice, or procedure of the District, its officers, officials, employees, attorneys, agents, and servants, at any time or in any way, violated federal or District of Columbia law," the filing for the settlement states.

During Trump's inauguration day, 234 people were arrested in downtown D.C.

The settlement is reportedly the final outstanding one brought by those challenging their arrests during the inauguration.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.