J6 political prisoner ordered to pay $500,000
On Monday, a January 6th defendant was ordered by a jury to pay $500,000 to the widow of a police officer who killed himself over a week after the January 6, 2021 protest.
Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith was at the Capitol that day, as was 69-year-old chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman. Smith was reportedly struck in the head and received a concussion. He was later medically cleared to return to work. Nine days later, on his way to work, he shot himself.
‘No crime happened’
Smith’s widow, Erin, sued Walls-Kaufman for striking her husband and causing his death—which Walls-Kaufman says never happened.
“No crime happened. I never struck the officer,” said the chiropractor, whose attorney pointed out that Smith’s bodycam footage did not show Walls-Kaufman striking him.
US District Judge Ana Reyes dismissed the wrongful death claims against Walls-Kaufman, saying it was unreasonable to conclude that Walls-Kaufman was responsible for Smith’s death, but allowed the civil claim for assault to proceed. On Monday, an eight-member jury found Walls-Kaufman guilty of assault and ordered him to pay $380,000 in punitive damages, $60,000 in compensatory damages, and an additional $60,000 for pain and suffering.
The defendant said he was shocked by the jury’s “absolutely ridiculous” verdict. “I’m just stunned,” he said.
Hughie Hunt, Walls-Kaufman’s attorney, wrote in a court filing that there was no evidence to support the widow’s claim. “The claim rests entirely on ambiguous video footage subject to interpretation and lacks corroborating eyewitness testimony,” wrote Hunt, according to The Associated Press.
‘A grave national injustice’
Walls-Kaufman already served 60 days in federal prison for trespassing, which never results in prison time for a first-time offense other than for January 6 protestors. President Trump pardoned him immediately upon taking office in January, along with roughly 1,200 other January 6th political prisoners.
“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” the president said in the proclamation announcing the pardons and commutations of 14 imprisoned defendants.
