Jury begins deliberations in ‘Unite the Right’ civil trial

By DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A jury began deliberations Friday in a civil trial of white nationalists accused of conspiring to commit racially motivated violence at the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017. The jury in U.S. District Court is being asked to decide whether two dozen white supremacists, neo-Nazis and white nationalist organizations are responsible for violence during two days of demonstrations. Jurors will also decide if the defendants are liable for compensatory and punitive damages for nine people who were physically hurt or emotionally scarred by the violence. Just before deliberations began Friday morning, Judge Norman Moon said one juror was dismissed because his two children were possibly exposed to COVID-19 at school and were told to quarantine at home.