Latest news with #DavidWallsKaufman


CBS News
03-07-2025
- CBS News
Widow of D.C. officer who died by suicide after Jan. 6 says $500,000 verdict was "a relief that all the fighting was worth it"
Washington — Jeffrey Smith, one of the D.C. police officers beaten and injured during the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, was left traumatized and changed by the events of that day, his widow, Erin Smith, says. "The man that left on January 6 was not the man that came home in the early hours of January 7," Smith told CBS News this week. "He was a different person. His personality changed. His demeanor changed. He was there, but the man that I knew was not in the same body." The 35-year-old Smith died by suicide on Jan. 15, 2021, as he was driving to work for the first time since the Capitol riot. In 2022, Erin Smith filed a wrongful death lawsuit for assault and battery against 69-year-old chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman, alleging that he had assaulted her husband during the Capitol riot. In January 2023, Walls-Kaufman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor federal count of "parading, demonstrating and picketing in a Capitol building" in connection with the insurrection. At the time, he acknowledged that he had "scuffled" with law enforcement, but did not face any federal assault charges in the case. He served 60 days in prison on that misdemeanor charge. He was one of hundreds of Capitol insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump in January. Despite the pardon, Smith's lawsuit went to trial in June. After a lengthy civil trial and just two hours of deliberations, a jury last week ordered Walls-Kaufman to pay her and her late husband's estate $500,000, finding that Walls-Kaufman had assaulted Jeffrey Smith on Jan. 6. In a statement to CBS News, Walls-Kaufman denied striking Smith and called the lawsuit and the verdict "sadistic." "It felt like a relief, a relief that all the fighting was worth it, everything that I had done was worth it, and it proves that he was injured," Smith said of the jury's decision. Following her husband's death, Smith became a reluctant but impactful advocate. She successfully lobbied Congress to pass a bipartisan law in 2022 to allow some police deaths by suicide to be designated as "official line of duty" deaths. In March of that year, Washington's Police and Firefighters' Retirement and Relief Board officially ruled that Smith's death was in the line of duty. Body camera footage obtained by CBS News appeared to show that Jeffrey Smith was the target of multiple assaults on Jan. 6. Those images helped Erin Smith have her husband's designation changed. Now, Smith is pressing the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington to add her late husband's name to its wall and include him in an honorary ceremony next May. She is also calling for the memorial to open eligibility for others for whom it's been officially determined to have died by suicide because of injuries on the job. "Getting his name on there is not just for me," Smith said. "It's also for his family, his friends, his partner, the people at the Metropolitan Police Department, his colleagues. And it's also for other officers who have died by suicide due to injuries that they also received at work." If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here. For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@


New York Times
24-06-2025
- New York Times
Man in Jan. 6 Riot Ordered to Pay $500,000 to Family of Officer Who Later Killed Himself
A federal jury on Monday ordered a man who was charged in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to pay $500,000 to the family of a D.C. police officer who was assaulted during the riot and later killed himself. A lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia claimed that the officer, Jeffrey Smith, of the Metropolitan Police, was hit with a hard object during the clashes, and that he became depressed in the days that followed. He killed himself a little over a week later. The man who was sued, David Walls-Kaufman, a chiropractor, was also charged criminally with parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and served a two-month jail sentence, but he was pardoned earlier this year by President Trump. Mr. Walls-Kaufman has denied assaulting the officer. Officer Smith was hit in the head with a metal pole during the melee and seemed to slip into a deep depression, his wife, Erin Smith, said in 2021. According to The Associated Press, Ms. Smith claimed that Mr. Walls-Kaufman 'struck her husband in the head with his own police baton, giving him a concussion and causing psychological and physical trauma that led to his See Stylebook entry update of April 2023.' The Police and Firefighters Retirement and Relief Board in Washington found in March 2022 that his death had been the direct result of an injury that he had sustained during the riot. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.


CNN
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Jury orders man to pay $500K for assaulting police officer who killed himself after Capitol riot
A federal jury on Monday awarded $500,000 to the widow and estate of a police officer who killed himself nine days after he helped defend the US Capitol from a mob of rioters, including a man who scuffled with the officer during the attack. The eight-member jury ordered that man, 69-year-old chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman, to pay $380,000 in punitive damages and $60,000 in compensatory damages to Erin Smith for assaulting her husband, Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021. They awarded an additional $60,000 to compensate Jeffrey Smith's estate for his pain and suffering. The judge presiding over the civil trial dismissed Erin Smith's wrongful-death claim against Walls-Kaufman before jurors began deliberating last week. US District Judge Ana Reyes said no reasonable juror could conclude that Walls-Kaufman's actions were capable of causing a traumatic brain injury leading to Smith's death. Walls-Kaufman, who lived a few blocks from the Capitol, denied assaulting Smith. He says any injuries that the officer suffered on January 6 occurred later in the day, when another rioter threw a pole that struck Smith around his head. On Friday, the jury sided with Erin Smith and held Walls-Kaufman liable for assaulting her 35-year-old husband — an encounter captured on the officer's body camera. 'Erin is grateful to receive some measure of justice,' said David P. Weber, one of her attorneys. Walls-Kaufman said the outcome of the trial is 'absolutely ridiculous.' 'No crime happened. I never struck the officer. I never intended to strike the officer,' he said. 'I'm just stunned.' After the jury left the courtroom, Reyes encouraged the parties to confer and discuss a possible settlement to avoid the time and expense of an appeal and for the sake of 'finality.' 'You guys settle, you can move on with your lives,' the judge said. Walls-Kaufman's attorney, Hughie Hunt, described the jury's award as 'shocking.' 'We're talking about a three-second event,' he told the judge. 'It's not shocking, Mr. Hunt. A lot of things can happen in three seconds,' Reyes replied. Jeffrey Smith was driving to work for the first time after the Capitol riot when he shot and killed himself with his service weapon. His family said he had no history of mental health problems before the January 6 riot. Erin Smith claims Walls-Kaufman struck her husband in the head with his own police baton, giving him a concussion and causing psychological and physical trauma that led to his suicide. The police department medically evaluated Smith and cleared him to return to full duty before he killed himself. In 2022, the District of Columbia Police and Firefighters' Retirement and Relief Board determined that Smith was injured in the line of duty and the injury was the 'sole and direct cause of his death,' according to the lawsuit. Walls-Kaufman served a 60-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to a Capitol riot-related misdemeanor in 2023, but he was pardoned in January. On Donald Trump's first day back in the White House, the president pardoned, commuted prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of cases for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the attack. More than 100 law enforcement officers were injured during the riot. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died a day after engaging with the rioters. A medical examiner later determined he suffered a stroke and died of natural causes. Howard Liebengood, a Capitol Police officer who responded to the riot, also died by suicide after the attack. Erin Smith's quest isn't over. She applied for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to add her husband's name as a line-of-duty death. Weber said they're hoping for a decision soon.


Washington Post
24-06-2025
- Washington Post
Jan. 6 rioter ordered to pay $500K to widow of officer who killed himself
A federal jury ordered a Jan. 6 rioter to pay $500,000 in damages for assaulting a police officer who died by suicide nine days later. The jury on Monday awarded $380,000 in punitive damages and $60,000 in compensatory damages to Erin Smith, the widow of Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, in her civil lawsuit against David Walls-Kaufman, 69. The jury also ordered Walls-Kaufman to pay a further $60,000 to Smith's estate for his pain and suffering. The damages were first reported by the Associated Press, and confirmed to The Washington Post by Erin Smith's attorney, David P. Weber.


The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US Capitol rioter ordered to pay damages for assaulting cop who later died by suicide
A federal jury on Monday awarded $500,000 to the widow and estate of a police officer who killed himself nine days after he helped defend the US Capitol from the mob that attacked on January 6, 2021, including a man who scuffled with the officer during the uprising. The eight-member jury ordered that the man, 69-year-old chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman, to pay $380,000 in punitive damages and $60,000 in compensatory damages to Erin Smith for assaulting her husband, Washington DC metropolitan police officer Jeffrey Smith, inside the Capitol. They awarded an additional $60,000 to compensate Jeffrey Smith's estate for his pain and suffering. The judge presiding over the civil trial dismissed Erin Smith's wrongful-death claim against Walls-Kaufman before jurors began deliberating last week. Federal judge Ana Reyes said no reasonable juror could conclude that Walls-Kaufman's actions were capable of causing a traumatic brain injury leading to Smith's death. Walls-Kaufman, who lived a few blocks from the Capitol, denied assaulting Smith. He says any injuries that the officer suffered on the day of the Capitol attack occurred when another attacker threw a pole that struck Smith around his head. On Friday, the jury sided with Erin Smith and held Walls-Kaufman liable for assaulting her 35-year-old husband – an encounter captured on the officer's body camera. 'Erin is grateful to receive some measure of justice,' said one of her attorneys, David P Weber. Walls-Kaufman said the outcome of the trial is 'absolutely ridiculous'. 'No crime happened. I never struck the officer. I never intended to strike the officer,' he said. 'I'm just stunned.' After the jury left the courtroom, Reyes encouraged the parties to confer and discuss a possible settlement to avoid the time and expense of an appeal – and for the sake of 'finality'. 'You guys settle,' the judge said, 'you can move on with your lives.' Walls-Kaufman's attorney, Hughie Hunt, described the jury's award as 'shocking'. 'We're talking about a three-second event,' he told the judge. 'It's not shocking, Mr Hunt,' Reyes replied. 'A lot of things can happen in three seconds.' Jeffrey Smith was driving to work for the first time after the Capitol attack when he shot and killed himself with his service weapon. His family said he had no history of mental health problems before the January 6 attack. Erin Smith claims Walls-Kaufman struck her husband in the head with his own police baton, giving him a concussion and causing psychological and physical trauma that led to his suicide. The police department medically evaluated Smith and cleared him to return to full duty before he killed himself. In 2022, the DC police and firefighters' retirement and relief board determined that Smith was injured in the line of duty and the injury was the 'sole and direct cause of his death', according to the lawsuit. Walls-Kaufman served a 60-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to a Capitol riot-related misdemeanor in January 2023. But Donald Trump pardoned him in January. On the first day of his second presidency, which began in January, Trump pardoned, commuted prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of cases for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the Capitol attack. More than 100 law-enforcement officers were injured during the riot. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died a day after engaging with the rioters. A medical examiner later determined he suffered a stroke and died of natural causes. Howard Liebengood, a Capitol police officer who responded to the riot, also died by suicide after the attack. Erin Smith has applied for the National Law Enforcement Memorial to add her husband's name as a line-of-duty death. Weber said they're hoping for a decision soon.