A U.S. District Judge has significantly reduced the civil lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and two others regarding the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the January 6 Capitol riots. In a notable decision, Judge Amit Mehta dismissed three of the five civil counts brought forward by Sicknick’s girlfriend, Sandra Garza, in the lawsuit filed last year.
Garza’s lawsuit sought damages from Trump, Julian Khater, and George Tanios for wrongful death, conspiracy to violate civil rights, and negligence under D.C.’s anti-riot law. Judge Mehta’s recent ruling dismissed the wrongful death act count and both counts of negligence per se against Trump, Khater, and Tanios.
Despite this, the lawsuit will still proceed under the remaining counts, including those under D.C.’s Survival Act and the conspiracy to violate civil rights claim. The Survival Act claim enables legal action on behalf of an individual posthumously.
Mark Zaid, Garza’s attorney, expressed a mixed reaction to the ruling. Speaking to Fox News Digital, he acknowledged the continuation of the lawsuit and mentioned considering options for Trump’s deposition, stating, “We are pleased to see that our lawsuit in pursuit of justice for the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick…has been permitted to continue.”
Officer Sicknick, who had been with the Capitol Police since July 2008, suffered fatal injuries after being pepper-sprayed by Khater and Tanios during the riot. He was hospitalized but succumbed to two thromboembolic strokes the following day.
The ruling included the D.C. medical examiner’s office finding that Sicknick’s death was from “natural causes,” a series of strokes, but acknowledged the events of January 6 as contributing factors.
This ruling is part of a broader set of legal challenges Trump faces, including those connected to his alleged involvement in the Capitol riot. Last month, a federal appeals court dismissed Trump’s claim of presidential immunity in an attempt to evade civil claims related to the riot.”trial immunity.