Foley Hoag LLP, in partnership with Human Rights First, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Charles Murrell III against white supremacist group Patriot Front, its leader Thomas Rousseau, and unnamed members for their violent attack of him in Boston in 2022.  
 
As alleged in the lawsuit, in July 2022, Patriot Front members marched along Boston’s historic Freedom Trail. They wore neck gaiters to mask their faces and conceal their identities and carried large homemade shields that could be used as weapons. When the members encountered bystander Charles Murrell III, a Black man, on the sidewalk, they physically attacked him, pushed him against a street pole, and bloodied him by beating him with their shields, feet, and fists.

The lawsuit, filed August 8, 2023 in the U.S. District Court in Boston, alleges that the defendants conspired to interfere with Murrell’s civil rights, in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 (42 USC 1985(3)) and the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, as well as other related state law claims.    
“This attack left me with both physical and emotional injuries. While I am still trying to heal, I hope that this healing will be broader than salving my own wounds,” said Murrell. “As a Black man and an educator, I feel like every Black and Brown child is my own. If this lawsuit helps keep even one of them – one person – safe from violent white supremacists, some justice will have been served.”  

“The law has prohibited racially motivated violence for more than 150 years, and this complaint seeks to use that law to its full extent to hold Patriot Front accountable for its conduct,” said Foley Hoag partner Anthony Mirenda. “Our firm has an unwavering commitment to helping clients protect their constitutional and civil rights. We will continue to devote resources to fight for those affected and marginalized by racial injustice.”

Human Rights First is an independent advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. For 40 years the organization has worked to press the U.S. government and private companies to respect human rights and the rule of law.

The Foley Hoag team working on the lawsuit includes attorneys Mirenda, James M. Gross, Allen Thigpen and Caroline Holliday.