The federal lawsuit accusing two dozen individuals and groups of conspiring to commit violence during the 2017 Unite the Right rally has dragged on for years now-in part because defendants in the case of defied court orders to turn over evidence.
The judge in the case has ordered one defendant, Elliot Kline, to jail next week (January 6th).
University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias says the lack of cooperation is extraordinarily rare.
“There’s all kinds of remedies that judges have but they’re very reluctant to impose those because at some point they seem pretty draconian,” Tobias said.
Beyond requiring defendants pay monetary sanctions and ordering them to jail for refusing to hand over evidence, Tobias says the judge could ultimately just rule in favor of the Charlottesville residents who filed the case against them.
The residents who filed the suit have been trying to gather evidence. But defendants, including Elliot Kline have refused to hand over evidence.
It’s backed by a non-profit called Integrity First For America.
