Nearly four and a half years after Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, her husband, Aaron Babbitt, has reached a settlement with the federal government in his $30 million wrongful death lawsuit.
The agreement, signed on June 6, includes a $4.975 million payout, though additional terms were not immediately disclosed, according to The Blaze.
“This fair settlement is a historic and necessary step for justice for Ashli Babbitt’s family,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Ashli should never have been killed, and this settlement destroys the evil, partisan narrative that justified her outrageous killing and protected her killer.”
As part of the agreement, 25 percent of the settlement will be held in a trust account, pending resolution of a potential claim from Ashli Babbitt’s former attorney, Terrell N. Roberts III. Earlier this year, Roberts filed a motion to intervene, arguing he is owed 40 percent of any settlement funds. Roberts ended his representation of Aaron Babbitt in early 2022. Since then, Babbitt’s current attorney, Richard Driscoll, has requested the matter be resolved through the Attorney/Client Arbitration Board of the D.C. Bar.
Despite claims in mainstream media, Judicial Watch represented the Babbitt family pro bono in the wrongful death suit.
While the federal government did not admit liability in the settlement, some observers see the agreement as a tacit acknowledgment by the Department of Justice that Lt. Byrd’s actions may have been reckless. Byrd fired a single fatal shot from a concealed position near the Speaker’s Lobby as Babbitt attempted to climb through a broken sidelight window.
The lawsuit, filed on January 5, 2024, alleged Byrd was negligent in his handling of his Glock 22 service weapon and acted recklessly by firing into a crowded hallway. It also accused the U.S. Capitol Police of failing to properly supervise Byrd, pointing to his prior disciplinary record—including an incident in 2004 when he discharged his firearm at a fleeing vehicle near his home, and another in which he left his service weapon on a toilet tank in the Capitol Visitor Center.
