5Pointz Artists Win $6.7M in Landmark Graffiti Rights Case
A federal judge in Brooklyn awarded $6.7 million to 21 artists whose graffiti murals at the 5Pointz complex in Queens were whitewashed and demolished by developers in 2013. The ruling, issued on February 12, 2018, by Judge Frederic Block, marks the first time the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) has been applied to protect street art. The artists, led by curator Jonathan "Meres One" Cohen, filed suit in 2015 after the Wolkoff family destroyed the murals to build luxury towers. A civil jury had already found the developers liable in November 2017. The case sets a precedent for artists' moral rights in the U.S., with attorney Eric Baum calling it "a victory for artists across the country." The 5Pointz site had been a hub for graffiti since the early 1990s, attracting global attention and artists like Banksy.
Key facts
- Judge Frederic Block awarded $6.7 million to 21 artists on February 12, 2018.
- The ruling is the first application of VARA to protect graffiti art.
- The 5Pointz murals were whitewashed on November 18-19, 2013, and later demolished.
- The Wolkoff family developed luxury towers on the site.
- Jonathan Cohen, known as Meres One, led the artists' legal action.
- A civil jury found developers violated VARA in November 2017.
- Attorney Eric Baum represented the artists; Dean Nicyper commented on the case.
- The case was heard at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn.
Entities
Artists
- Jonathan Cohen
- Meres One
- Banksy
Institutions
- Withers Bergman
- New York Times
- Artribune
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- Second Circuit Court of Appeal for the Eastern District of New York
- Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA)
Locations
- New York City
- Queens
- Brooklyn
- Long Island
- Davis Street
- United States
- New York
- Long Island City
- 5Pointz