Forsyth County Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Confederate Statue

A superior court judge in Forsyth County has dismissed a lawsuit involving a Confederate monument that until recently stood in downtown Winston-Salem.

Judge Eric Morgan granted the city and other defendants' motion to dismiss the case this week. He dismissed it with prejudice, meaning the United Daughters of the Confederacy can't bring it back to that court.

The Confederate statue had been at the corner of Fourth and Liberty Streets in Winston-Salem since 1905. The city took steps to remove it after it was vandalized twice. They said it's a public nuisance and a safety concern. A few protests were also held in front of it while the public debate over its future ignited in the community.

Supporters say it's a historical artifact that belongs where it was, in front of the former county courthouse.

The city removed the statue in March. The private landowner where it stood also asked the UDC to move it.

The monument was moved to an undisclosed storage area after it was taken down. The city says it has offered to help pay for relocating it to a nearby cemetery, where several Confederate soldiers are buried.

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