Lawsuit filed against Philadelphia officials over Columbus statue removal.
A group in Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against the city's mayor and members of the historical commission for threatening to remove a Christopher Columbus statue. The defendants are accused of voting with malice to remove the statue and engaging in misconduct by following instructions from the mayor. The statue was covered up for two years after violence broke out between those who wanted it removed and those who protected it. A judge recently allowed for the statue to be uncovered again. The statue was donated by the Italian-American community in 1876 to celebrate the country's 100-year anniversary and pay homage to Columbus' discovery of the new world.