(Trends Wide) — The estate of Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died after responding to the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, has filed a lawsuit against two rioters involved in the attack and former President Donald Trump, for their alleged role in inciting them.
The civil suit, filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, adds to the 2024 presidential candidate’s legal woes over his attempts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power following his 2020 election loss. Trump is already a defendant in several other lawsuits. civil lawsuits related to January 6, where he argues that his presidency makes him immune from liability.
The lawsuit by Sicknick’s estate was filed the day before the two-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol.
Then-US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters near the White House on January 6, 2021 in Washington Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
“While Agent Sicknick and hundreds of others, including other police officers, elected officials and rank-and-file workers on Capitol Hill, were in danger of death, and while the insurgent mob desecrated the headquarters of American Democracy, defendant Trump watched as the events were taking place on live television from the safety of the White House,” the lawyers for Sicknick’s estate and his widow Sandra Garza wrote in the complaint. “The horrific events of January 6, 2021, including the tragic and wrongful death of Officer Sicknick, were a direct and foreseeable consequence of Defendants’ unlawful actions.”
Sicknick’s estate also alleges conspiracy, negligence and assault.
The lawsuit alleges that Trump instructed his supporters in Washington on January 6 to “fight like crazy” and “show strength” in his speech before the riot on Capitol Hill.
Julian Khater and George Tanios, the two Capitol Hill rioters named in the lawsuit, pleaded guilty last summer to crimes related to the riot. They are scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
During the riot, Khater took bear spray from Tanios’s backpack, punched Sicknick and other officers in the face, forcing them back as the rioters advanced on the Capitol steps.
Sicknick suffered multiple strokes and died of natural causes the day after the insurrection, according to a 2021 report from Washington’s chief medical examiner. The examiner, Francisco Díaz, told the Washington Post that “everything that happened” on January 6 “played a role in his condition.”
Sicknick’s wrongful death indictment against Trump marks the most serious allegation to date that the former president was responsible for the January 6 insurrection.
Sicknick’s lawyers are asking the court for compensation of more than $10 million.
Other investigations against Trump are ongoing
Trump already faces previous civil lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and other law enforcement officers who responded to the attack on the Capitol. The federal appeals court in Washington is considering whether to uphold a trial judge’s ruling that Trump could be held liable for damages for his actions before the riots. If that suit is successful, Sicknick’s suit is likely to follow in his legal footsteps.
Some of the same lawyers who brought Sicknick’s case also brought the existing riot conspiracy case. Another lawyer, involved in the Sicknick case, has represented other Capitol Police officers after the attack.
Trump speaking to his supporters on January 6, 2021. Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Criminal investigations around January 6 are ongoing, including an investigation into Trump’s alleged support to disrupt Joe Biden’s victory that is now led by special counsel Jack Smith. In recent weeks, prosecutors have taken further investigative steps, including obtaining documents from local election officials. Trump has not been criminally charged.
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(Trends Wide) — The estate of Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died after responding to the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, has filed a lawsuit against two rioters involved in the attack and former President Donald Trump, for their alleged role in inciting them.
The civil suit, filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, adds to the 2024 presidential candidate’s legal woes over his attempts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power following his 2020 election loss. Trump is already a defendant in several other lawsuits. civil lawsuits related to January 6, where he argues that his presidency makes him immune from liability.
The lawsuit by Sicknick’s estate was filed the day before the two-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol.
Then-US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters near the White House on January 6, 2021 in Washington Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
“While Agent Sicknick and hundreds of others, including other police officers, elected officials and rank-and-file workers on Capitol Hill, were in danger of death, and while the insurgent mob desecrated the headquarters of American Democracy, defendant Trump watched as the events were taking place on live television from the safety of the White House,” the lawyers for Sicknick’s estate and his widow Sandra Garza wrote in the complaint. “The horrific events of January 6, 2021, including the tragic and wrongful death of Officer Sicknick, were a direct and foreseeable consequence of Defendants’ unlawful actions.”
Sicknick’s estate also alleges conspiracy, negligence and assault.
The lawsuit alleges that Trump instructed his supporters in Washington on January 6 to “fight like crazy” and “show strength” in his speech before the riot on Capitol Hill.
Julian Khater and George Tanios, the two Capitol Hill rioters named in the lawsuit, pleaded guilty last summer to crimes related to the riot. They are scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
During the riot, Khater took bear spray from Tanios’s backpack, punched Sicknick and other officers in the face, forcing them back as the rioters advanced on the Capitol steps.
Sicknick suffered multiple strokes and died of natural causes the day after the insurrection, according to a 2021 report from Washington’s chief medical examiner. The examiner, Francisco Díaz, told the Washington Post that “everything that happened” on January 6 “played a role in his condition.”
Sicknick’s wrongful death indictment against Trump marks the most serious allegation to date that the former president was responsible for the January 6 insurrection.
Sicknick’s lawyers are asking the court for compensation of more than $10 million.
Other investigations against Trump are ongoing
Trump already faces previous civil lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and other law enforcement officers who responded to the attack on the Capitol. The federal appeals court in Washington is considering whether to uphold a trial judge’s ruling that Trump could be held liable for damages for his actions before the riots. If that suit is successful, Sicknick’s suit is likely to follow in his legal footsteps.
Some of the same lawyers who brought Sicknick’s case also brought the existing riot conspiracy case. Another lawyer, involved in the Sicknick case, has represented other Capitol Police officers after the attack.
Trump speaking to his supporters on January 6, 2021. Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Criminal investigations around January 6 are ongoing, including an investigation into Trump’s alleged support to disrupt Joe Biden’s victory that is now led by special counsel Jack Smith. In recent weeks, prosecutors have taken further investigative steps, including obtaining documents from local election officials. Trump has not been criminally charged.
