CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A North Carolina judge has ruled that a $2.5 million fund that was set up to maintain a Confederate statue will have to be returned to the University of North Carolina.
The judge’s order is the latest step in the dismantling of a controversial deal that struck between the university and a Confederate heritage group.
The deal was made after the Silent Sam statue was toppled on campus in 2018.
The Raleigh News & Observer reported Wednesday that the judge has ordered the money returned. However, he did approve tens of thousands of dollars in legal expenses and other costs that had already been spent.