ORANGE COUNTY -- The N.C. Sons of Confederate Veterans are facing at least two legal challenges regarding the Silent Sam Confederate Statue.

  • Last month, the UNC System agreed to give the SCV the toppled statue plus a $2.5 million trust fund
  • Recently, the president of the SCV sent an internal letter calling the settlement a victory
  • That letter was eventually obtained by Durham attorney T. Greg Doucette, who publicly shared it on the file-sharing website Dropbox

Last month, the UNC System agreed to give the SCV the toppled statue plus a $2.5 million trust fund. Critics of the decision claim UNC is basically funding a hate group, while SCV leaders say they're simply preserving history.

Recently, the president of the SCV sent an internal letter calling the settlement a victory.

That letter was eventually obtained by Durham attorney T. Greg Doucette, who publicly shared it on the file-sharing website Dropbox.

The SCV claims he violated digital copyright laws and, as a result, Dropbox limited Doucette's usage. He's now suing in California, where Dropbox is based, to get his privileges back.

"It makes it difficult for me to serve the people who already hired me," he says.

Doucette hopes his lawsuit and the motions will uncover more details about the SCV.

We reached out to the SCV for a comment, but haven't heard back.

While all this is going on, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights filed their own motions in Orange County court on Friday to try to overturn the settlement.

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors chair Randy Ramsey released a statement on Monday regarding those motions:

"It’s irresponsible that the LCCRUL organization is working so hard to return Silent Sam to UNC-Chapel Hill, putting the safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors at risk. Law enforcement experts have made it crystal clear: returning the monument to campus would pose serious public safety risks to students, faculty and staff. The lawful settlement approved by the court ensures the monument never returns to any county where a UNC System institution is located, and the UNC System and the Board will continue to defend solutions that protect public safety."