In August 2017, Charlottesville, Virginia became the epicenter of a violent and divisive event known as the Unite the Right rally. This rally was organized to protest the city's plan to remove a Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue from a park. The two-day demonstration resulted in widespread violence and chaos, leaving one woman dead and dozens injured.
Four years later, on July 2, 2024, a federal appeals court ordered several white nationalist leaders and organizations to pay over $9.7 million in damages for their role in the violent event. The defendants included individuals such as Richard Spencer and Jason Kessler, as well as hate groups like Vanguard America and the League of the South.
The original jury award was a significant $24 million in punitive damages, but this was later reduced to $350,000 per plaintiff by a judge due to a state law imposing a cap on punitive damages. However, the appeals court ruled that each plaintiff should receive the full $350,000 instead of sharing it among all eight.
The violence at the Unite the Right rally began when James Alex Fields Jr., a white supremacist from Ohio, intentionally drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters on August 12, 2017. He killed one woman, Heather Heyer, and injured dozens more. Fields is now serving life in prison for murder and hate crimes.
The lawsuit against the defendants alleged that they orchestrated violence against African Americans, Jewish people, and others in a meticulously planned conspiracy. The verdict was seen as a rebuke to the white nationalist movement.
The restored damages include $2.8 million for eight plaintiffs who suffered physical harm and emotional distress during the rally. The defendants also owe attorney fees and costs, bringing the total amount they must pay to over $9.7 million.
