The settlements appear to be the first involving allegations of excessive force by New York police officers using horses, two lawyers for the plaintiffs said.
"These settlements appear to be all about community and not about emerging households," the team writes, adding that this "ritualized community activity" might have helped to bring together the work force necessary to harvest the wild crops.
In fact, human population density and distance to human settlements appear to be less important variables affecting mosquito distribution in this area.
Matera's ancient settlement appeared to be coming to an end.
Over the last 10 years, as the settlement appeared to be coming to fruition, Mr. Barnhart and a local minister, the Rev.
Joel Berger, a lawyer who worked for the city's Law Department from 1988 to 1996, said the Bell settlement appeared to be consistent with the city's typical strategy.
Before yesterday's decisions, Merck's strategy of aggressively defending cases, rather than looking for a settlement, appeared to be paying dividends.
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said the settlement appeared to be a substantial victory for the plaintiffs.
For Mr. Falcone, who is currently engaged in two battles over LightSquared, a broadband company in bankruptcy he is fighting to maintain control over, the settlement appeared to be a positive turn of events.
Most of the lawsuits to emerge from the raids in the New York region have been resolved, though the latest settlement appeared to be the only one that has required federal policy changes, immigration lawyers said.
