Man ordered to pay $500K for assaulting officer who killed himself after Capitol riot

WASHINGTON -- A national assemblage connected Monday awarded $500,000 to the widow and property of a constabulary serviceman who killed himself 9 days aft helium helped support the U.S. Capitol from a mob of rioters, including a antheral who scuffled with the serviceman during the attack.

The eight-member assemblage ordered that man, 69-year-old chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman, to wage $380,000 successful punitive damages and $60,000 successful compensatory damages to Erin Smith for assaulting her husband, Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, wrong the Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021. They awarded an further $60,000 to compensate Jeffrey Smith's property for his symptom and suffering.

The justice presiding implicit the civil trial dismissed Erin Smith’s wrongful-death assertion against Walls-Kaufman earlier jurors began deliberating past week. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said nary tenable juror could reason that Walls-Kaufman’s actions were susceptible of causing a traumatic encephalon wounded starring to Smith’s death.

On Friday, the assemblage sided with Erin Smith and held Walls-Kaufman liable for assaulting her 35-year-old hubby — an brushwood captured connected the officer's assemblage camera.

“Erin is grateful to person immoderate measurement of justice,” said David P. Weber, 1 of her attorneys.

Walls-Kaufman said the result of the proceedings is “absolutely ridiculous.”

“No transgression happened. I ne'er struck the officer. I ne'er intended to onslaught the officer,” helium said. “I'm conscionable stunned.”

After the assemblage near the courtroom, Reyes encouraged the parties to confer and sermon a imaginable colony to debar the clip and disbursal of an entreaty and for the involvement of “finality.”

“You guys settle, you tin determination connected with your lives,” the justice said.

Walls-Kaufman's attorney, Hughie Hunt, described the jury's grant arsenic “shocking.”

“We're talking astir a three-second event,” helium told the judge.

“It's not shocking, Mr. Hunt. A batch of things tin hap successful 3 seconds,” Reyes replied.

Jeffrey Smith was driving to enactment for the archetypal clip aft the Capitol riot erstwhile helium changeable and killed himself with his work weapon. His household said helium had nary past of intelligence wellness problems earlier the Jan. 6 riot. Erin Smith claims Walls-Kaufman struck her hubby successful the caput with his ain constabulary baton, giving him a concussion and causing intelligence and carnal trauma that led to his suicide.

Walls-Kaufman, who lived a fewer blocks from the Capitol, denied assaulting Smith. He says immoderate injuries that the serviceman suffered connected Jan. 6 occurred aboriginal successful the day, erstwhile different rioter threw a rod that struck Smith astir his head.

The constabulary section medically evaluated Smith and cleared him to instrumentality to afloat work earlier helium killed himself. In 2022, the District of Columbia Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board determined that Smith was injured successful the enactment of work and the wounded was the “sole and nonstop origin of his death,” according to the lawsuit.

Walls-Kaufman served a 60-day situation condemnation aft pleading blameworthy to a Capitol riot-related misdemeanor successful January 2023, but helium was pardoned successful January. On his archetypal time backmost successful the White House, President Donald Trump pardoned, commuted situation sentences oregon ordered the dismissal of cases for each of the nearly 1,600 people charged successful the attack.

More than 100 law-enforcement officers were injured during the riot. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died a time aft engaging with the rioters. A medical examiner aboriginal determined helium suffered a changeable and died of earthy causes. Howard Liebengood, a Capitol constabulary serviceman who responded to the riot, besides died by termination aft the attack.