A judge imposed a 45-day deadline on the Sons of Confederate Veterans to return the Silent Sam statue to the University of North Carolina.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour also ruled that the group must return the remaining balance of a $2.5 million trust fund that the university’s board of governors set up to preserve the statue.

The judge filed the written order on Thursday after a ruling last week that overturned the board’s highly-criticized settlement giving the monument and the money to the Confederate heritage group.

Baddour ruled that the Sons of Confederate Veterans has no legal claim to the statue, or standing to bring the lawsuit. That means the University of North Carolina system still owns Silent Sam and will again need to figure out what to do with it.

The statue stood on the Chapel Hill campus for more than 100 years until protesters toppled it in August 2018. Critics say it symbolizes racism and white supremacist views, while supporters argue it honored the memory of ancestors who died in the Civil War.

At its Board of Governors meeting on Friday, Chair of the board Randy Ramsey spoke about the court’s ruling:

This board is responsible for the governance of the university. While we do encounter distractions from time to time, our job is to avoid these distractions and to focus on the efforts and key areas of governance with our preview. This includes improving access to our institutions, making sure students can succeed and graduate on time, and ensuring a university education is affordable for everyone in our state.

In late November, the board took action in respect to Silent Sam with court approval. We’d hoped our actions would allow the university to focus on the core responsibilities while keeping Chapel Hill safe.

Last week, the court overturned the settlement and dismissed the lawsuit. While I’m very disappointed that happened, we are getting the university’s money back and will secure the monument away from campus and we will deal with it in due course. In the mean time, we have a presidential search underway and several chancellor searches. We need to focus on the many promising opportunities before us in the advancement and development of our universities. That’s where we need to focus our time, not on the monument at this point.

Related Stories
‹
Civil Rights Lawyers Stake Claim in Confederate Statue Case
A national civil rights group has warned the leaders of the University of North Carolina System that it should reconsider a $2.5 million settlement involving a statue of a Confederate soldier that protesters toppled last year at the system’s flagship campus. In a letter sent to the attorney who represented the UNC Board of Governors, […]
UNC Interim Chancellor Guskiewicz Sends Letter to UNC System, Voices Concerns over Silent Sam Settlement
After a more than a week of protests by the campus community against the UNC System’s decision to settle a lawsuit with a pro-Confederate group, UNC Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz sent a letter to the system’s leadership outlining concerns over the decision. Guskiewicz, who shared the letter in a message to the campus community on […]
UNC Faculty Condemn System's Settlement with Pro-Confederate Group in Resolution
Faculty members of UNC voiced their opposition to a settlement by the UNC System with a pro-Confederate group over the statue known as Silent Sam. At its monthly meeting on Friday, the UNC Faculty Council passed a resolution criticizing the decision to create a $2.5 million trust fund and cede possession of the Confederate monument […]
UNC System Settles Silent Sam's Future, Gives Statue to Sons of Confederate Veterans
The University of North Carolina System reached a resolution to the future of the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam on Wednesday. A court approved a consent judgement that would give possession, rights, title and interests of the statue over to the Sons of Confederate Veterans — removing UNC as the institution possessing Silent Sam. […]
UNC Chancellor Clarifies University's Role in Silent Sam Settlement Negotiations
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz shared a message with the campus community Thursday to clarify the university’s role in the 2019 negotiations that led to a settlement over the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam. Following new information revealed in a settlement between the UNC System and DTH Media Corp., a renewed interest in the Chapel […]
Collection of UNC Faculty Call for Chancellor Guskiewicz's Resignation Over Silent Sam Settlement
UPDATE: This story has been updated with statements from UNC, which were issued to the campus community and sent to Chapelboro. A group of UNC faculty is calling for UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz’s resignation as more details emerge regarding the university’s involvement in the 2019 settlement over a Confederate monument previously on the Chapel Hill […]
Orange County Judge: UNC Won't Receive All $2.5 Million Back in Overturned Silent Sam Settlement
A judge ruled on Wednesday the Sons of Confederate Veterans will not have to give back the entire $2.5 million sum placed in a trust by the University of North Carolina System as part of the settlement over the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam. In February, Orange County superior court judge Allen Baddour changed […]
UNC Students File Appeal in Case Over Silent Sam Settlement
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed an appeal on behalf of a group of UNC students and a faculty member to intervene in the settlement between the UNC System and a pro-Confederate group. The organization filed on Tuesday in regards to the denial of its motion to intervene in the deal that […]
Guskiewicz Launches New Commission to Address UNC's History with Race
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced the official launch of a new commission to address and contextualize the university’s history regarding slavery and race relations. In a release Wednesday night, Guskiewicz revealed the members of the Commission on History, Race and A Way Forward. Made to build upon the findings and feedback generated from former chancellor […]
Daily Tar Heel Ownership Files Lawsuit Against UNC, Board of Governors Over Silent Sam Deals
The media group which owns the student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel filed a lawsuit against the University of North Carolina and the UNC System Board of Governors on Wednesday. DTH Media Corporation filed the lawsuit, alleging the settlement between the Board of Governors and the pro-Confederate group the Sons of Confederate Veterans over a […]
›