Judge Dismisses Part of Sicknick Civil Suit Against Trump

Facts

• US District Judge Amit Mehta on Tuesday dismissed all but two counts against Republican former Pres. Donald Trump in a civil suit related to US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick’s death.¹
• Sicknick was found to have died of natural causes a day after the Jan. 6 riots, after suffering two strokes. He sustained injuries on duty while confronting rioters, prompting his partner to bring claims of wrongful death and negligence against the former president.²
• Mehta, appointed under Obama’s presidency, issued a 12-page ruling concluding that Sandra Garza, Sicknick’s partner, could not make legitimate wrongful death complaints because Sicknick and herself were not officially registered as domestic partners before his death.³
• Although he dismissed the wrongful death and negligence civil counts, Mehta allowed Garza’s claims made against Trump under Washington, DC’s Survival Act — which allows a person’s legal representative to pursue legal action even after their death — to proceed.⁴
• Aside from the complaint against Trump — which sought a minimum of $10M in damages — Garza is additionally seeking damages from Julian Khater and George Tanios, who both participated in the riots.¹
• More than 1.2K people have been arrested by the FBI in connection with the storming of the Capitol building, carried out by Trump supporters in response to his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden. Trump has publicly pledged to curtail much of the action taken against participants, should he be reelected in 2024.⁵

Sources: ¹CBS, ²Axios.com, ³USA Today, ⁴The Messenger and ⁵NPR Online News.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Newsweek. This is another win for Trump against the endless witch hunt being carried out against him by Democrats, who want to keep him from returning to the White House. It was determined Sicknick died of natural causes, and no one has been charged with a crime related to his death. There’s no justification for Trump facing further charges related to Sicknick.
• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Rebel News. Trump is not getting off easy here. Still on the docket against him are two significant claims that could cost the former president dearly. This case has brought to light the terrible circumstances surrounding Sicknick’s death, which was impacted by the attack on the Capitol that Trump personally incited. The scale of indictment against Trump merely reflects the severity of his impact on both the lives of individuals and democracy at large through Jan. 6.

Predictions