1 of 2 lawsuits to remove Robert E. Lee statue dropped; Judge in another recuses himself from case

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - One of the two lawsuits seeking to stop the state of Virginia from removing the Robert E. Lee Monument has been dropped by the plaintiffs. And the other pending lawsuit has been reassigned to a new judge.

The announcement about the lawsuit being dropped came just hours before a scheduled hearing Thursday where Attorney General Mark Herring had filed a motion to combine both measures.

Lee statue to be cut apart during removal, reassembled

It was filed by a group of property owners who live on Monument Avenue in Richmond.

The other lawsuit - filed by the great-grandson of one of the original deed holders for the statue - remains active. However, the judge in that case, Bradley Cavedo, recused himself from it, citing his home’s vicinity to the monument. He says presiding over the case may create an appearance of bias.

The case has now been assigned to Judge W. Reilly Marchant.

The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 23 at 2 p.m. That’s likely when a final decision about the fate of the state-owned statue will be made.

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