The former owner of a Portland cider plant has won a civil lawsuit against four members of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer over a May 2019 attack on the establishment, the Oregon Justice Resource Center announced late Friday.
A civil jury in the case began a three-day trial on Tuesday that ended with Cider Riot owner Abram Goldman-Armstrong being awarded more than $760,000 in damages.
On May 1, 2019, a May Day celebration was taking place at a bar on Couch Street Northeast in Portland’s East End neighborhood when members of Patriot Prayer showed up outside to try to confront anti-fascists who frequented the bar.
According to the complaint filed by Goldman-Armstrong, Patriot Prayer began “harassing and threatening patrons,” throwing objects at them, punching a patron in an attempt to “expose” them, and using pepper spray on patrons before the confrontation turned into an all-out brawl.
“Defendant Ian Kramer, a regular attendee at Patriot Prayer rallies, struck a Cider Riot patron in the head with a baton, knocking her unconscious. It is understood and believed that she suffered a severe fracture of her vertebrae,” the complaint states.
Goldman-Armstrong’s lawsuit initially included Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson, but court records show he was withdrawn from the case in November. The OJRC said the matter had been resolved with him “out of court.”
The lawsuit, which goes to trial this week, names the aforementioned Ian Kramer, as well as Mackenzie Lewis, Christopher Ponte and David Willis.
According to the OJRC, the jury awarded Goldman Armstrong $600,000 in non-economic damages; $7 in nominal damages; $50,000 in punitive damages for each defendant except Lewis; and $10,000 in punitive damages against Lewis.
“It feels great to be vindicated by a jury,” Goldman-Armstrong said in a statement. “It took a long time, but the community rallied around us to show these far-right extremists that they could not attack Portland and get away with it. This jury stood up for our values as a community.”
Goldman Sachs-Armstrong is represented by attorneys including Adam Wolfe of Adam Wolfe PC, Juan Chavez of OJRC and Nate Haberman of Underdog Law Office.
“Despite the slow progress of the justice system, we will always fight to the end,” attorneys for Goldman-Armstrong said in a joint statement. “The defendants’ actions and terror tactics largely mirror what we are seeing from the federal government right now. Our community, represented by these jurors, can and will protect us.”
Cider Riot closed in November 2019 after six years in operation. At the time, Goldman Armstrong said economic headwinds forced him to close.