Judge allows Richard Spencer’s lawyer to withdraw from lawsuit over violence at Charlottesville rally

The lawyer for Richard Spencer has been allowed to withdraw from representing the white nationalist leader in a lawsuit over violence that erupted at the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va.

John DiNucci said that representing Spencer, a white supremacist who took part in a march in Charlottesville where participants yelled out racist and anti-Semitic chants, had become costly. The day after the march, a woman was killed after a man drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters.

Spencer still owed DiNucci legal fees and did not adequately cooperate, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Hoppe approved DiNucci’s request to leave the lawsuit on Tuesday.

“I understood John DiNucci’s position,” Spencer told the AP. “He’s been professional throughout.”

Hoppe said that he would not postpone any legal proceedings due to DiNucci’s departure. Spencer told the AP he is “exploring other options.”

The lawsuit, spearheaded by Integrity First for America, seeks unspecified damages for the Charlottesville rally. In addition to the woman who died, several people were injured in fights surrounding the rally. It is one of several lawsuits that has stemmed from the rally. 

Spencer is also facing legal troubles in a state court in Montana, where a judge has warned him he could face two weeks in jail if he doesn’t reach a payment plan in legal fees for his divorce case.

Spencer reportedly owes $60,000 in fees to Joyce Funda, who represented the interests of Spencer’s two children.