Charlottesville Rally Leaders Face Higher Damages on Appeal

Counter-protesters who sued organizers of the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va. are entitled to more in damages for injuries suffered at the hands of organizers, the Fourth Circuit ruled Monday.

The district court in 2023 lowered the jury’s $24 million in punitive damages to $350,000 by applying Virginia’s punitive damages cap to the total award. But Virginia’s cap on punitive damages should apply on a per-plaintiff basis—allowing each of the eight plaintiffs in the “Unite the Right” case to seek $350,000 from the organizers, said Judge Albert Diaz, of the US Court of Appeals for the ...