Settlement reached in North Dakota lawsuit alleging intimidation by white nationalist hate group
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Two North Dakota nonprofits have settled their lawsuit against a white nationalist hate group that alleged it intimidated immigrant business owners, though the details are unclear.
A court docket entry last week gave notice of the settlement following a conference in Fargo, and attorneys have not provided details.
In 2023, the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, the Immigrant Development Center and the center's executive director sued Patriot Front, two of its leaders and 10 unidentified others, alleging they violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, among other claims. The plaintiffs sought unspecified damages to be determined at trial, along with other requested relief.
Their complaint alleged members of Patriot Front vandalized businesses and public property in recent years, including spray-painting Patriot Front designs on the front of the International Market Plaza, an indoor marketplace for immigrant business owners in Fargo. The complaint also claims they defaced a mural depicting Black women wearing hijabs.
Last year, a federal judge dismissed some of the claims against two Patriot Front leaders, Thomas Rousseau and Trevor Valescu.
An assistant for the white nationalist group's attorney, Jason Lee Van Dyke, said this week that he was unavailable to comment on the settlement. A spokesperson for a legal group representing the plaintiffs said Thursday they could not immediately provide comment.
Other lawsuits in recent years have cited the Ku Klux Klan Act, including one from multiple Democratic U.S. representatives against President Donald Trump in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Last month, a federal judge awarded a Black man more than $2.7 million in his lawsuit citing the same civil rights law against Patriot Front, Rousseau and unnamed others. He had accused group members of beating him in 'coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack' in 2022 in Boston.
Patriot Front is a white nationalist hate group that broke off from Vanguard America, a group involved in the deadly 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director at the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project. Patriot Front is 'very theatrical' with marches, public displays and racist propaganda, she said.
The North Dakota lawsuit could impact the group's recruitment because of the accountability it brings, Carroll Rivas said.
'If we have less people involved, that is a win,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Combs' ex accuses him of abuse but says she loves him
An ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs who accuses him of kicking, punching and dragging her has testified at his sex trafficking trial that she still loves the hip-hop mogul. "He was my baby," said the woman, who is testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy. Asked under cross-examination by defence lawyer Teny Geragos if she still loves Combs, Jane said, "I do". The woman said she enjoyed taking care of Combs, bathing him and falling asleep with him while watching television after "hotel nights", their phrase for drug-fuelled encounters in which she would have sex with male entertainers while Combs watched. The questioning was part of Combs' strategy to portray Jane as a willing participant in the sexual encounters with him, not a victim of sex trafficking as prosecutors allege. She said she agreed to these "hotel nights" while "under a lot of emotional pressure" - and already hooked on love and a desire to stay in a relationship with Combs. Jane testified that she partook in the encounters, sometimes grudgingly, because they pleased Combs and she enjoyed spending time alone with him afterward. Combs, 55, and the founder of Bad Boy Records, has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say Combs used force and threats of cutting off financial support to coerce women into taking part in the encounters, sometimes known as "Freak Offs". Over three days under questioning by prosecutors in Manhattan federal court, Jane said that she agreed to have sex with a male escort in front of Combs early in their relationship but that he later dismissed her requests to stop and threatened to stop paying her rent. On Monday, Jane said Combs kicked, punched and dragged her during an altercation at her Los Angeles home last June. Later that night, he told her to perform oral sex on a male entertainer even though she said she did not want to, Jane said. Under questioning on Tuesday, Jane said she researched the terms "cuck" and "cuckold" during her relationship with Combs to try to understand his desires. The words refer to men who enjoy watching female partners with other men, Jane said. "I just wanted to know why my partner wanted so many of these nights and what was driving him," Jane said. Combs' defence lawyers are expected to cross-examine Jane until Thursday. Testimony is in its fifth week. Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, Combs turned artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, elevating hip-hop in American culture and becoming a billionaire in the process. with AP
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New Jersey governor primary results in Republican and Democratic races
The polls close at 8 p.m. on June 10 primary day in New Jersey as voters went to the polls to select a candidate to represent the Democratic and Republican parties in the fall gubernatorial election. On the Republican side, the candidates are state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Assemblyman and previous Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, and former radio personality Bill Spadea. Two other Republican candidates, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and Justin Barbera, are also on the June 10 primary ballot but did not qualify to participate in spring debates. The Democratic candidates are Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, NJSEA President and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. Voting has been underway since mail-in ballots were sent out in April. Early in-person voting was held from June 3 through June is a look at the unofficial totals from the 21 county board of election websites. The vote totals reflect the data that was current as of the latest time stamp on this story and may not include early voting and vote-by-mail totals. Check back as the vote totals will be updated This article originally appeared on New Jersey governor primary results in Republican and Democratic races
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ohio Democrats elect Kathleen Clyde as new party chair ahead of 2026 election
Former state Rep. Kathleen Clyde will lead the Ohio Democratic Party as candidates prepare for 2026 and seek to break the Republican Party's hold on Ohio. The Democrats' executive committee tapped Clyde to replace former party chair Liz Walters, who resigned to become CEO of a political data firm in Washington, D.C. The shakeup came months after a brutal election for Ohio Democrats, leaving state Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner as the only Democrat in statewide office. Get The Scoop!: Sign up for our weekly Ohio politics podcast Despite past defeats, Clyde believes the party has an opportunity to capitalize on backlash against President Donald Trump and reclaim power in 2026. In her new role, she'll help recruit and support candidates, raise money and organize get-out-the-vote efforts. "Democrats need to unify around a message that shows what these harmful policies coming out of Washington and the statehouse mean for our economy, our health care, social security," Clyde told the statehouse bureau ahead of the June 10 vote. "We need to offer a compelling message about what Democrats do when they're in power." Clyde, a Portage County native who lives in Columbus, was once considered a rising star in the Ohio Democratic Party. She served four terms in the Ohio House and unsuccessfully ran for secretary of state in 2018. After that, she was appointed to the Portage County Board of Commissioners, but lost when she ran for her seat two years later. Clyde had the backing of former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who Democrats hope will run for governor or U.S. Senate in 2026. Several Democrats challenged Clyde in the race for chair, but her biggest rival − state Sen. Bill DeMora of Columbus − dropped out before the vote. DeMora said he wasn't supporting any remaining candidates, including Clyde. As party chair, Clyde said she wants to tackle urban, suburban and rural areas with different strategies and work with county parties to meet voters where they are. She said Democrats also need to address depressed turnout in Ohio's largest cities and ensure they listen to the needs of Black voters who abandoned the party. "I feel confident that we can come together as Democrats and focus on the work ahead of turning the state around and winning at all levels of government for the working people and putting the needs of Ohioans first," Clyde said. State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@ or @haleybemiller on X. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kathleen Clyde to lead Ohio Democratic Party for 2026 election
