Hate Groups Held Accountable in Charlottesville: Paul, Weiss Lawyers Discuss Landmark Trial Win

Paul, Weiss, alongside co-counsel, secured a major victory in Sines v. Kessler on behalf of nine pro bono clients who were injured in the violence during the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The verdict followed a lengthy four-week trial during which the plaintiffs were subjected to hate speech and doxing by white supremacists who were following the public proceedings. At trial, the team presented extensive evidence that the leaders of the white supremacist movement planned for months to bring violence to the streets of Charlottesville.

In this video, litigation partners Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson and Jessica Phillips reflect on the landmark trial victory.

“In this case, the jury found that there was a conspiracy among all of the defendants in the case to commit racially motivated violence in Charlottesville. And so, the verdict in this case was the finding of conspiracy as to each and every one of the defendants for both compensatory and punitive damages…. We were incredibly gratified by the verdict, by the conspiracy finding, and we were also very gratified to have secured some measure of accountability and justice for our plaintiffs,” says Karen Dunn.