A jury has found that developers Jerry and David Wolkoff broke the law when they painted over the graffiti murals at the 5Pointz building in Long Island City in Queens, NY, in advance of the building’s demolition for the development of two giant rental towers.

Since the 1990s, the Wolkoffs had an informal agreement that allowed the artists to paint walls, making the empty building a famous tourist attraction. The artists have sued on the grounds that they weren’t given time to preserve their murals.

The finding by the jury, in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, will serve as a recommendation to the judge who presided over the case and who will render a final verdict.

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