Federal Court Orders White Nationalists to Pay $26M

A federal appeals court has reinstated over $2 million in punitive damages against white nationalist leaders and organizations involved in the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Initially, a jury awarded $24 million in punitive damages, later reduced to $350,000 to be shared among eight plaintiffs, but the recent ruling entitles each plaintiff to $350,000. This decision follows a federal lawsuit against two dozen white nationalists and groups protesting the removal of a Confederate statue, culminating in violence including a fatal car attack by a white supremacist. The defendants, including prominent figures, now owe a total of $9.7 million in compensatory and punitive damages, attorney's fees, and costs. The trial highlighted the defendants' extremist beliefs and actions, leading to the jury's findings of conspiracy and violence, shaping the outcome of the case.