Judge says most -- but not all -- of $2.5 million from Silent Sam deal must go back to UNC

An Orange County judge ruled Wednesday that most of the $2.5 million in the deal for the Silent Sam Confederate statue will be returned to the UNC System, but not all of it.

Nearly $82,000 has either already been spent on the attorney for the North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans or needs to be paid for legal services related to the trust, according to court documents.

Judge Allen Baddour voided the controversial settlement in February. The deal, negotiated behind closed doors, was originally made in November 2019 and gave the SCV ownership of the statue and access to $2.5 million to preserve and display it.

With his decision to overturn that deal, Baddour ordered that the trust fund be dissolved and the money returned to the UNC System.

Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article241867311.html
(Raleigh News & Observer)