The lengthy legal drama surrounding a beloved graffiti spot has finally come to an end. Five years after a real estate developer painted over a beloved stretch of street art in Queens, New York, a federal judge has ruled that he must pay $6.7 million to 21 artists.

In November 2013, developer Jerry Wolkoff whitewashed their artworks at 5Pointz without notifying them. Today, Judge Frederic Block wrote in an opinion that Wolkoff — the owner of what was once the graffiti-covered 5Pointz warehouse, in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens — acted willfully when he destroyed their art. Block affirmed a jury decision last November that Wolkoff violated the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA), which gives artists limited rights over paintings that they no longer own.

The final ruling sets a striking precedent for the protection of aerosol art, as a visual art form of recognized stature.

“The court’s decision is a victory not only for the artists in this case, but for artists all around the country,” the artists’ lawyer, Eric Baum, told Hyperallergic. “The rights of the aerosol artists have been completely vindicated. Aerosol art has been recognized as a fine art. The clear message is that art protected by federal law must be cherished and not destroyed. Anyone that violates the law will be held to account and punished for the destruction of the art.”