COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio man is receiving $5,000 in a judgment against former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke as part of a lawsuit the man filed against white supremacists and neo-Nazi protesters at the Charlottesville, Virginia, rally.
That rally turned fatal when Lucas County resident James Alex Fields Jr. ran his car into a crowd, killing civil rights activist Heather Heyer and injuring more than 30 others.
Bill Burke, of Athens, Ohio, says he suffered severe injuries during the rally in Virginia two years ago. Burke says he was struck by the car driven by Fields.
Duke's lawyer says Duke denies allegations that he promotes violence. Burke's lawyer called the judgment a step in the right direction against white supremacy.
Fields, of Maumee, pleaded guilty to 29 federal charges stemming from the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. Fields received life in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. In July, Fields was sentenced to life plus 419 years on state charges in Virginia.
