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President Donald Trump’s administration has agreed to pay approximately $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt to settle a wrongful death lawsuit, according to a report published Monday by The Washington Post.
The settlement follows a lawsuit filed by Babbitt’s estate in early 2024 seeking $30 million in damages over her fatal shooting by law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol.
Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran and Trump supporter, was shot while attempting to climb through a shattered window into the Speaker’s Lobby. Her death quickly became a rallying point for Trump allies and was frequently cited by Trump during his 2024 campaign.
Earlier this month, reports indicated that a “settlement in principle” had been reached. The Post, citing two anonymous sources, said the final amount would be approximately $5 million, with about one-third allocated to legal fees. Babbitt’s attorneys include the conservative legal organization Judicial Watch and Virginia-based lawyer Richard Driscoll.
The lawsuit accused U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd of acting negligently in the fatal shooting. Babbitt’s family claimed she was unarmed and had her hands raised when she was shot. Byrd said he could not see her hands or determine what she might have been carrying in her backpack at the time.
“Ashli posed no threat to the safety of anyone,” the complaint stated, adding that she traveled to Washington not “as part of a group or for any unlawful or nefarious purpose.”
According to The Post, “Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, which represents the family, said his group was working pro bono and ‘is not getting any money from the settlement.’ A second lawyer, Alexandria attorney Richard Driscoll, would be paid for his services by Judicial Watch and the Babbitt family, not from the settlement.”
After his return to the White House in January, the president pardoned approximately 1,500 Jan. 6 political prisoners.
“There’s never been anything like this, and it’s almost 100 percent of the people are convicted…it’s Washington, D.C.,” he commented.
