The estate of Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died after addressing the disturbance on January 6, 2021, is bringing legal action against two of the attackers as well as former President Donald Trump for allegedly inciting the riot.
The legal complaint, which was submitted on Thursday in a federal court in Washington, DC, intensifies the difficulties facing the 2024 presidential candidate in relation to his attempts to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power after losing the election in 2020. Trump is already a defendant in a number of other civil litigation connected to January 6, where he claims his office exempts him from responsibility.
The day before the second anniversary of the Capitol attack, Sicknick's estate filed a lawsuit.
Attorneys for Officer Sicknick's estate and his partner Sandra Garza wrote in the complaint that while "Operator Sicknick and hundreds of others—including other police officers, elected officials, and rank-and-file workers at the Capitol—were put in mortal danger, and as the seat of American Democracy was desecrated by the insurgent mob, Defendant Trump watched the events unfold on live television from the safety of the White House." "The dreadful events of January 6, 2021, including the tragic, wrongful death of Officer Sicknick, were a direct and foreseeable result of the Defendants' unlawful activities," the court's ruling reads.
Additionally, the estate of Sicknick claims assault, negligence, and a conspiracy.
In his address prior to the Capitol brawl on January 6, Trump reportedly told his followers in Washington to "fight like hell" and "show strength," according to the lawsuit.
The two Capitol rioters cited in the lawsuit, Julian Khater and George Tanios, entered pleas of guilty to breaches-related offences last July. Later this month, they are scheduled for sentencing.
Khater used the bear spray that was in Tanios' backpack during the incident to spray Sicknick and other cops in the face, causing them to flee as the protesters advanced toward the Capitol steps.
The day after the Capitol breach, Sicknick passed away from natural causes after suffering numerous strokes, according to a 2021 report by the chief medical examiner for DC. According to the examiner, Francisco Diaz, "everything that happened" on January 6 "had a role in his state."
The most serious charge against the former president for being responsible for the uprising on January 6 is the Sicknick wrongful death claim.
The lawyers representing Sicknick are requesting more than $10 million in damages from the court.
Trump has already been the target of legal lawsuits filed by Democratic senators and other law enforcement officials in the wake of the attack on the Capitol. Trump may be held accountable for damages for his activities that contributed to the violence, according to a trial judge's decision, which is currently being reviewed by the federal appeals court in DC. The Sicknick complaint is probably going to follow in that lawsuit's legal footsteps if it is successful.
That pre-existing riot conspiracy case was also brought by some of the same attorneys who brought the Sicknick case. Following the incident, another attorney involved in the Sicknick case represented more Capitol Police officers.
Criminal investigations into the events of January 6 are still going on, and special counsel Jack Smith is now in charge of an inquiry into attempts by Trump supporters to sabotage Joe Biden's victory. Prosecutors have recently launched further investigations, including requesting records from the neighbourhood election officials. No charges have been brought against Trump.
