CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Former Olympic boxer Michael Carbajal could be close to settling his lawsuit over a parking-lot scuffle with an off-duty police officer for $35,000.

He had sued for $2 million, contending his civil rights were violated, but the City Council was expected to approve a $35,000 settlement on Thursday.

Carbajal and his cousin, Carlos Valdez, got into a fight around 3 a.m. on April 28, 1997, with officer Steven Nichols outside a gas station. The two national champion boxers were arrested on assault charges.

But prosecutors refused to indict Carbajal and Valdez.

Video surveillance tapes made it difficult to tell which of the three men threw the first punch. Four hours after the fight, Nichols tested at a .10-percent blood-alcohol level, making him legally too drunk to drive.

A jury sided with Carbajal in March 1998 and denied Nichols a $1.5 million claim for his injuries, which included a smashed jaw and a broken eye socket.

Nichols left the Chandler police force about six months ago.