Four years after the violent 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, a jury has demanded that white nationalist leaders and organizations pay over $26 million in damages to those physically or emotionally harmed during the event.
Initially, the jury awarded $24 million in punitive damages, but a judge later reduced this to $350,000 to be shared among eight plaintiffs. However, on Monday, a federal appeals court reinstated more than $2 million in punitive damages, ruling that each plaintiff should receive $350,000, rather than splitting the amount.
The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the $2 million in compensatory damages awarded by the jury. The court clarified that Virginia’s cap on punitive damages should apply per person, not collectively, as previously ruled by a lower court judge.
This ruling comes from a federal lawsuit against two dozen white nationalists and organizations involved in the Charlottesville rally, which protested the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. During the rally, white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one woman and injuring dozens. Fields is now serving a life sentence for murder and hate crimes and was a defendant in the civil case.
The 4th Circuit panel rejected the defendants’ request to have the Supreme Court of Virginia rule on the punitive damages cap, stating that the state law’s language was clear enough to make their decision.
“Over two years ago, the jury used its $24 million punitive damages award to send an unmistakable message to the defendants and to the public about the outrageous misconduct that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. While the law compels us to reduce the award, it’s long past time for that message to be delivered,” wrote Chief Judge Albert Diaz in the unanimous ruling.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision. “Today’s decision restores over $2 million in punitive damages from the jury’s verdict, which sent a clear message against racist and antisemitic hate and violence,” stated attorneys Roberta Kaplan, David E. Mills, and Gabrielle E. Tenzer.
The 2021 trial verdict was a significant blow to the white nationalist movement, highlighting the orchestrated violence against African Americans, Jewish people, and others in a carefully planned conspiracy. Lawyers for the defendants have not responded to requests for comment.
