The favorable verdicts from these suits served to bankrupt the KKK and other targeted organizations .
In 1979 , Dees and the SPLC began filing civil lawsuits against Ku Klux Klan chapters and similar organizations for monetary damages on behalf of their victims .
The favorable verdicts from these suits served to bankrupt the Ku Klux Klan and other targeted organizations .
In 1979 , Dees and the SPLC began filing civil lawsuits against Ku Klux Klan chapters and similar organizations for monetary damages on behalf of their victims .