A legal decision on Monday delivered a financial penalty in answer to the chaos of the “Stop the Steal” protests on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
A federal jury awarded $500,000 to Erin Smith, the widow of Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, who died by suicide nine days after defending the U.S. Capitol. The man partially blamed for assaulting him during the riot, chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman, was found liable, according to the Associated Press.
The jury ordered Walls-Kaufman to pay $380,000 in punitive damages and $60,000 in compensatory damages to Erin Smith, along with another $60,000 to Jeffrey Smith’s estate for pain and suffering.
This followed a trial where jurors reviewed body camera footage and heard arguments about a pivotal three-second encounter inside the Capitol.
Despite the monetary award, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes had previously dismissed the widow’s wrongful-death claim, ruling that no juror could reasonably conclude that Walls-Kaufman’s actions alone caused the trauma leading to Smith’s suicide.
Still, the jury found that the assault occurred, and sided with Erin Smith in holding Walls-Kaufman accountable.
“Erin is grateful to receive some measure of justice,” said her attorney, David P. Weber.
Walls-Kaufman, now 69, maintained his innocence, calling the verdict “absolutely ridiculous.”
“No crime happened. I never struck the officer. I never intended to strike the officer,” he said, visibly shaken.
His attorney, Hughie Hunt, argued that the incident was too brief to warrant such a high judgment: “We’re talking about a three-second event,” he told the court.
“It’s not shocking, Mr. Hunt. A lot of things can happen in three seconds,” Judge Reyes replied.
Officer Smith’s tragic death came just as he resumed duty. Though cleared for work, his family said he’d shown no signs of mental health issues prior to the riot. Erin Smith believes Walls-Kaufman struck her husband with his own baton, causing a concussion and subsequent trauma that led to his suicide.
Walls-Kaufman was convicted of a misdemeanor related to the riot and sentenced to 60 days in prison — only to be pardoned during President Trump’s return to office, part of a sweeping clemency granted to nearly 1,600 defendants.
Over 100 officers were injured during the Capitol riot. Two officers, including Smith, later died by suicide. Another officer, Brian Sicknick, died the following day from a stroke.
