Paul, Weiss Recognized by The American Lawyer for Metropolitan AME Pro Bono Victory

A Paul, Weiss team led by litigation partners Dan Kramer, Jeannie Rhee, Andrew Ehrlich and Erin Morgan was recognized in The American Lawyer’s “Litigation Daily” column for winning over $1 million in damages on behalf of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in its lawsuit against the Proud Boys and its leaders for their roles in a violent attack on the church and the destruction of its Black Lives Matter sign in December 2020.

“The hateful and overtly racist conduct exhibited by the defendants on December 12, 2020 was repugnant not only to the laws relied on by the church but to every norm of a civilized community,” the D.C. Superior Court said in its decision. Accordingly, the court awarded $1 million in punitive damages—more than 27 times the amount of compensatory damages and the fourth-highest amount ever awarded against white supremacists.

Litigation counsel Jonathan Hurwitz, ESG counsel Lissette Duran and litigation associates Samantha Fry, Jillian Gray, Clay Wild, Walter Bonné and Vamsi Damerla were also named in the article.