(Ken Silva, Headline USA) U.S. judge Indira Talwani has entered a default judgment against the white nationalist group Patriot Front, its leader Thomas Rousseau, and 100 anonymous group members—ordering them to pay more than $2.7 million to a black man they allegedly accosted in July 2022 in an incident where no criminal charges were filed.
Talwani granted plaintiff Charles Murrell III’s motion for a default judgment on Monday after the Patriot Front refused to participate in the litigation. Talwani awarded Murrell $25,000 for physical injuries, $500,000 for psychological injuries and emotional distress damages, $230,000 in special damages for lost wages and earning opportunities, and $2,000,000 in punitive damages—for a total judgment of $2,755,000.
According to Murrell, he was heading to the Boston Public Library to play his saxophone on July 2, 2022, when he was surrounded by members of the Patriot Front and assaulted in a “coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack.”
NEW: U.S. judge Indira Talwani has awarded Charles Murrell III, seen in the left photo, over $2.7 million in his lawsuit against the Patriot Front, its leader Thomas Rousseau and dozens of its unidentified members.
The judge granted Murrell's motion for a default judgment after… pic.twitter.com/IXsnqd8ZFf
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) January 13, 2025
“Almost immediately, members of Patriot Front surrounded Mr. Murrell. Using tactics that Patriot Front members had practiced at training sessions preceding their Boston ‘flash’ march, Patriot Front members then began to beat Mr. Murrell with their metal shields, eventually pressing him against a concrete pole and knocking him to the ground,” Murrell’s lawsuit said.
Licha Nyiendo, the chief legal officer at Human Rights First, which backed Murrell in the lawsuit, told the Associated Press that the lawsuit isn’t just intended to bring about justice and accountability—but also to bankrupt Patriot Front.
“Our goal is to decimate this extremist group,” she said, “and bring a national spotlight to the dangers of their extremist ideology.”
It’s not clear how Nyiendo intends to collect on the default judgment, as the Patriot Front is not a legal entity and Rousseau has no assets.
Patriot Front members, for their part, are seemingly denying the lawsuit’s allegations. Attorney Jason Lee Van Dyke, who has represented Patriot Front members in prior cases, told the AP that “Charles Murrell is not telling the truth.”
Footage of the incident released by @AttorneyJlvd clearly shows that the black guy was looking to instigate a fight.
Why is Thomas Rousseau going on podcasts instead of going to court to defend his organization? Maybe he's fine living the indigent lifestyle, but what about the… https://t.co/VOgH6klwdG pic.twitter.com/DThA2nnjFe— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) January 14, 2025
“I happen to have seen the raw video footage and it was clear that Charles Murrell was the aggressor and no one with Patriot Front did anything unlawful.” he said. “His assertion that he was beaten is factually incorrect.”
No one has been charged in connection with the attack on Murrell.
The Patriot Front has note responded Headline USA’s inquiries seeking a response to the plaintiffs’ allegations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
