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Jury Orders Jan. 6 Rioter to Pay $500,000 for Assault on Officer Who Died by Suicide

With wrongful-death claims dismissed by Judge Ana Reyes the verdict concentrates on civil liability for injuries Officer Jeffrey Smith suffered during the Capitol breach

This image from the Department of Justice statement of facts to support an arrest warrant for David Walls-Kaufman, shows an image from police body-worn video, contained and annotated by the source, of David Walls-Kaufman in the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (Department of Justice via AP)
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Overview

  • The eight-member federal jury awarded $500,000 to Officer Jeffrey Smith’s widow and estate, including $380,000 in punitive damages and $120,000 in compensatory awards
  • U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes barred Erin Smith’s wrongful-death claim after finding no reasonable basis to link Walls-Kaufman’s actions to her husband’s suicide
  • Officer Smith’s family said he had no prior mental health history; a 2022 District of Columbia Police and Firefighters’ board determined his Jan. 6 injury was the sole and direct cause of his death
  • David Walls-Kaufman served a 60-day sentence after pleading guilty to a Capitol riot misdemeanor in 2023 and received a full pardon from President Trump in January 2025
  • The ruling sets a rare civil precedent holding a Jan. 6 participant financially accountable despite sweeping presidential pardons