In his ruling on Tuesday, a District of Columbia judge dismissed most of the claims against former President Donald Trump and other participants in the Capitol events on January 6 by Capitol police partner Brian Sicknick, who died after being injured during the insurrection.
Key Facts
Sicknick’s next of kin and executor of his estate, Sandra Garza, filed a lawsuit accusing the defendants of wrongful death, which Judge Amit Meta dismissed on procedural grounds, asserting that Garza and Sicknick did not formally or officially declare their partnership.
Garza also claimed conspiracy to violate civil rights and negligence based on the District of Columbia’s anti-riot act, in addition to a separate negligence claim against convicted rioters Julian Khater and George Tanios, alleging that their actions while illegally on federal grounds contributed to Sicknick’s death.
Meta also rejected the negligence claims, noting that they could only be raised when the defendants violate “specific duties” imposed by law.
Meta upheld Garza’s surviving action claim, which would allow any financial damages awarded in the case to be directed toward Sicknick’s estate and family members, rather than just to Garza, and Garza’s conspiracy claim to violate civil rights, which accuses Trump and the defendants of conspiring to carry out the insurrection, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
Main Background
Sicknick died of “natural causes” after suffering a series of strokes attributed to the events of January 6, according to the D.C. medical examiner. Khater pleaded guilty to spraying Sicknick and another officer with pepper spray and was sentenced to over 6 years in prison last year. Tanios, accused of bringing pepper spray to the Capitol and handing it to Khater, also agreed to a plea deal in the case and received a sentenced prison term.
Side Details
Meta on Tuesday also rejected Trump’s defense of immunity, pointing to a ruling from a court of appeals in December that found he could be sued in a separate case related to January 6, where he claimed immunity from the allegations because they interfered with his official duties as president. The court of appeals confirmed that Trump’s actions on January 6 were outside the scope of his official duties and instead constituted campaign activity. Judges overseeing the various criminal and civil cases against Trump have rejected his repeated claims of immunity. Trump is currently fighting D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s ruling rejecting his arguments regarding immunity in a Justice Department case related to January 6 before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the legal question next week, which is expected to ultimately reach the Supreme Court.
Leave a Reply