Judge dismisses lawsuit over Charlottesville rally, response

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Charlottesville, its former police chief and the former Virginia State Police superintendent over their response to a white nationalist rally that descended into violence.

A Verona-based law firm sued after the Aug. 12 rally on behalf of Robert Sanchez Turner, who said he attended to peacefully protest.

The lawsuit said police and state troopers watched nearby but didn’t intervene as Turner was approached by “KKK members/sympathizers,” who sprayed him with mace and beat him.

The judge wrote in an opinion Tuesday that there was no constitutional right supporting Turner’s claims against Al Thomas or Steven Flaherty, the police chief and superintendent at the time. The judge dismissed a claim against the city as well.

Mike Donovan, president and CEO of Nexus Services Inc., the company that funds the law firm, said it has agreed to fund an appeal.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Flaherty’s first name.

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