A man who accused his aunt and cousin of selling him a fake Confederate battle flag won his lawsuit Tuesday, and the case's Columbia County judge ordered that the money he paid for the flag be returned.
The judge ordered Dorothy Woodward and her son, Bruce Woodward, to return the $45,000 that Reid Woodward had paid them for the flag that once belonged to his late father.
The family dispute began in 2015 when Joe Woodward -- Reid Woodward's father -- asked his brother, Mac Woodward, to return his Confederate flag, the complaint stated.
Mac Woodward responded that Dorothy and Bruce would "divorce" him if he gave the flag back, the complaint said.
Joe and Mac Woodward died before the matter was settled, according to court documents.
Bruce Woodward contacted Reid Woodward in May 2016 and offered to sell the flag for $45,000, holding out that it was an authentic Confederate flag, documents stated. Bruce Woodward said an appraisal had been done on the flag and that it had been verified as an authentic item handed down from their great-grandfather, who was a Confederate veteran.
Reid Woodward said his cousin warned him that if the price wasn't met, the item would be sold to the appraiser, according to court documents.
Two months later, Reid Woodward said he and Bruce Woodward met again, but the price had increased to $65,000 because Bruce Woodward insisted that a sale was imminent. Reid Woodward requested paperwork associated with the appraisal, and no deal was reached, court documents said.
In September 2016, the two agreed upon the $45,000 price for the flag and the accompanying paperwork, documents stated.
Reid Woodward said he realized after a reasonable inspection of the flag that it was not an authentic Confederate flag, and he said he never received any paperwork verifying its authenticity, according to court documents.
The jury further ordered Bruce Woodward to pay Reid Woodward $5,000 in damages, court documents said.
State Desk on 02/07/2019