Chicago Panhandlers Get A Hand

People who have been arrested or ticketed for panhandling in Chicago may be in line for a handout from the city.

Under a tentative settlement, the city would pay about $99,000 to the alleged offenders and $375,000 to their attorneys.

About 5,000 people could receive money from the pool of $99,000, but it is not known how many will actually submit claims, said plaintiffs' lawyer Mark Weinberg. Those arrested for panhandling may file a claim for $400, while people who were ticketed can receive $50.

The preliminary settlement signed Oct. 22 is part of a battle over a 1991 ordinance that classified panhandling as disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Weinberg filed suit in 2001, and the ordinance was repealed the next year. Under the statute of limitations of two years on civil cases, only those arrested or ticketed after Sept. 6, 1999 are eligible to receive money.

"Currently you can't have a blanket ban on panhandling like that," said Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city's law department. "It's considered a limit on commercial speech."