Quoting a newswire post: "In response to a class action suit brought by hundreds of anti-war protesters who were illegally arrested that night, the City of Chicago took the unusual step of counter-suing against the demonstrators."
An attempt to have the counterclaim dismissed was itself dismissed, but U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall dismissed the class action request in the countersuit. The city claimed that activists were "liable for the expenses incurred by the city in responding to such alleged legal violations as failing to obtain a permit for the march, obstructing traffic and jaywalking.".