The case was brought by nine people who say they suffered physical and emotional damage during the far-right march, the violence that erupted around it, and the aftermath of the rally. They held the organizers of the rally responsible through a nonprofit that filed a lawsuit.
Twelve far-right leaders, including neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, and five groups were found guilty of four of the six charges by a jury in federal court. In total they have to pay 25 million dollars (about 22 million euros).
During the demonstration, far-right James Fields drove his car into a counter-demonstration, in which one was killed and 19 injured. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2019. The rally itself and the response from then-President Donald Trump, who condemned the violence on “both sides,” sparked outrage in the US.
The civil case was already brought in 2017, but was delayed because several suspects refused to cooperate. During the trial, most of the accused did not deny their far-right beliefs, but they did deny that they had planned to use violence. They also claimed that they cannot be held responsible for the action of Fields, who allegedly acted alone.
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