Jan Randolph Martin, Plaintiff-Appellee/cross-Appellant v. City of Indianapolis, Defendant-Appellant/cross-Appellee

HARLINGTON WOOD, Jr., Circuit Judge.

We are not art critics, do not pretend to be and do not need to be to decide this case. A large outdoor stainless steel sculpture by plaintiff Jan Martin, an artist, was demolished by the defendant as part of an urban renewal project. Plaintiff brought a one-count suit against the City of Indianapolis (the “City”) under the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (“VARA”), 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The district court granted plaintiffs motion and awarded plaintiff statutory damages in the maximum amount allowed…