The estate of the Capitol Police officer, who died of natural causes after being assaulted in the January 6 riots, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Donald Trump.
Brian Sicknick, 42, had two strokes and died a day after the Capitol riot, and although a coroner said they were not caused by the injuries he sustained on Jan. 6, 2020, his estate is going with a lawsuit against Trump further.
The 47-page lawsuit, filed just a day before the riots’ two-year anniversary, alleges Trump “deliberately annoyed the crowd and directed and encouraged a mob to attack the US Capitol and those who opposed it.”
The lawsuit also names Capitol rioters Julian Khater and George Tanios, who were accused of attacking Sicknick with pepper spray, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Sicknick’s estate is seeking at least $10 million on alleged wrongful death and conspiracy to violate the defendants’ civil rights and aiding and abetted the assault on the officer.
The lawsuit comes after Sicknick’s family snubbed Republican leadership when Congress honored the officers who protected the Capitol in a ceremony last month.
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, (above) had suffered two strokes following the deadly Capitol riot. Though a coroner ruled they were not caused by the injuries he sustained on Jan. 6, 2020, his estate continues with a lawsuit against Trump
The lawsuit alleges former President Donald Trump (above) bore direct responsibility for the official’s death because he allegedly instigated the violence in the Capitol
The lawsuit also names Capitol rioters Julian Khater (left) and George Tanios (right) who have been accused of assaulting Sicknick. Despite the allegations, prosecutors did not connect either man to the officer’s death during their respective trials
Sicknick (above) suffered two strokes and died a day after the riot
Sicknick was among five people who died after the riot, when crowds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after being enraged during a “Stop the Steal” rally.
During the uprising, Sicknick is said to have been sprayed with a chemical irritant, a pepper spray.
The lawsuit alleged Trump had a hand in Sicknick’s death after telling his supporters to “fight like hell” as they marched to protest confirmation of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
“As a direct and foreseeable consequence of Defendant Trump’s false and inflammatory allegations of fraud and theft, and in direct response to Defendant Trump’s explicit calls for violence at the rally, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol,” the lawsuit reads .
“The horrific events of January 6, 2021, including the tragic, wrongful death of Officer Sicknick, were a direct and foreseeable consequence of the wrongful actions of the defendants,” the lawsuit added.
In a statement following the filing of the lawsuit, Attorney Matt Kaiser said, “Nothing can bring Officer Sicknick back to his fiancee or his family, but this lawsuit is an important part of the process of holding those who caused his death accountable.
Former President Donald Trump called Khater and Tanios to Washington DC to attack the Capitol and they responded. This directly caused Officer Sicknick’s death.
Despite the estate’s claims, a coroner determined that Sicknick had suffered two devastating strokes in his brainstem, which caused a clot to form in an artery.
His mode of death was described as “natural,” which is used when disease alone causes death. The Bureau of Inquiry clarified that the manner of death should not be considered natural if it was hastened by injury.
Khater and Tanios, who will be sentenced on January 27 for their involvement in the riots and attacks on officials, were not linked to Sicknick’s deaths at their trial.
Trump officials did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment. Lawyers for Khater and Tanios could not be reached immediately.
The FBI said Khater and Tanios were among those who clashed with police (above) and pepper-sprayed Sicknick
Sicknick was among five people who died after the riot, when crowds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after being enraged during a “Stop the Steal” rally
Pictured: Sicknick with his fiancee Sandra Garza (right)
The lawsuit is the latest legal issue for Trump over the deadly Capitol riot as he faces three other civil lawsuits similarly alleging she bore responsibility for the attack.
Trump had asked a Washington judge to dismiss the cases, but the offer was rejected.
The former president’s team then appealed the verdict, arguing that he should be immune from the civil charges.
A US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit began reviewing the argument in December and has invited the Justice Department to hear the matter.
Trump was also under scrutiny by the committee’s Jan. 6 final report, which called on Congress to consider banning Donald Trump from ever holding public office again because he has been accused of a criminal conspiracy to manipulate the results of the annul elections in 2020.
The panel released its 845-page report Thursday night, detailing 200 ways Trump and his allies tried to pressure officials to overturn state results.
The former president was quick to dismiss the findings – the result of interviews with more than 1,000 witnesses – as a “witch hunt”.
Gladys Sicknick was emotional during the ceremony to honor the police officers who served that day
Members of the Capitol Police and the DC Metropolitan Police Department gathered in the US Capitol Rotunda to honor law enforcement officers who fought off a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters who wanted the 2020 election overturned.
Accepting the award on behalf of the police were Capitol Police Commissioner Thomas Manger and DC Police Commissioner Robert Contee III, along with members of fallen police officer Brian Sicknick’s family. Sicknick suffered multiple strokes and died a day after defending the US Capitol complex.
When it came time to present the medal, Sicknick’s parents and brother offered warm regards to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and his mother even kissed the New York Democrat on the cheek.
GOP Senate Chairman McConnell, standing next to Schumer, appeared to extend his hand — which was ignored by every Sicknick family member.
Sicknick’s mother, Gladys, in comments to CNN after the event, called McConnell “two faces” for not condemning his party’s efforts to change the Jan. 6 narrative.
“I’m just tired of them standing there and saying how wonderful the Capitol Police Department is,” she said. “And then they turn around and… go to Mar-a-Lago and kiss [Trump’s] ring the bell and come back and stand and sit here – it just hurts.’
Sicknick’s brother told NBC and a bevy of reporters that McConnell and McCarthy represent the GOP’s failure to condemn the riot — and blamed them on Republicans continuing to downplay the riot.
“It takes away everything my brother has done. It takes my brother’s heroism away,’ he said.