A Charlottesville circuit judge told the plaintiffs who sued to preserve the city's two statues of Confederate Generals that because they won the case he planned to award much of their requested $600,000 in legal fees.
Judge Richard Moore said the City Council began a series of unauthorized actions in early 2017 when it voted to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee. Buddy Weber, one of the plaintiffs, emerged joyful from the courthouse.
"I would characterize it as a win. We have prevailed on the action. We've got a permanent injunction against removing the statues, and the judge is going to award us a substantial portion of our attorneys's fees."
City Council's efforts to move the statues prompted not just this long-running lawsuit but several rallies that year, including one called United the Right-- where a neo-Nazi drove into a crowd, killing one, injuring 35, and provoking international concern.