A U.S. district court judge on Tuesday dismissed most of the civil counts against former President Donald Trump and several others for their alleged role in the death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died while defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Sicknick’s parter, Sandra Garaza, filed the lawsuit last January, alleging wrongful death, conspiracy to violate civil rights, two counts of negligence under an anti-riot law in Washington, D.C., and a claim under the D.C. Survival Act.
But on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, dismissed three out of the five counts—leaving only the conspiracy to violate civil rights charge and the D.C. Survival Act claim.
The move is likely a win for Trump and his fellow defendants, though the lawsuit will still move forward with the core allegations on which it was filed.
Sicknick was killed in the Jan. 6 attack after rioter Julian Khater sprayed him with a chemical spray from less than eight feet away, causing Sicknick to collapse. Sicknick died the following day at a local hospital.
The District of Columbia’s Chief Medical Examiner said that Sicknick died of natural causes but that “all that transpired on [January 6] played a role in his condition,” which led to his death.
