A Virginia state senator will receive $300,000 as part of a settlement agreement in a lawsuit she filed following felony charges that were brought against her after a 2020 protest.
Virginia senator Louise Lucas was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and injury to a monument in excess of $1,000. Other individuals including NAACP leaders, public defenders, and even a Portsmouth School Board member also faced felony charges.
The June 10th protest resulted in Confederate monuments being vandalized, with several demonstrators pulling off the heads of Confederate statues. One statue, in particular, was pulled down and fell on a demonstrator, causing critical injuries. Following the protest, there were several calls for action to remove Lucas from office. Claims of “misuse of office” circulated in an attempt to discharge Lucas from her position.
The charges were brought about by then-Police Chief Angela Greene. Greene pursued the criminal charges against the senator and others, but a judge later dismissed all the charges in the case. The same day that the judge announced the dismissed charges, Greene was fired from her position as the police chief.
Following the dismissed charges, Lucas filed a $6.75 million lawsuit against Greene and the police officer who filed the charges against her. In the lawsuit, Lucas alleged malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, and gross negligence. The Democratic senator also accused Greene of defamation.
In late December, the Virginian-Pilot detailed reports that the lawsuit was settled in mediation. As part of the agreement, Lucas will not hold Greene, the other defendants, or the City from future liability according to Burle Stromberg, the interim city attorney.
The longtime Democratic senator shared in a statement that she was pleased with the settlement. She also shared that she intended to give back to the community by donating the settlement funds to charitable organizations in the area.
On Twitter, Lucas shared, “I've spent my entire career of public service fighting for this community and our people, and I am thrilled to have this amazing opportunity to give back even more!”
In her tweet, she shared a press release that detailed, “I also understand that any settlement from a locality impacts their ability to fund critical programs in our community,” Lucas said in a statement Friday. “That’s why I am pledging that I will be donating the entirety of what I receive in the settlement to the charitable efforts in our community I have been involved with for so many years.”
