Ashli Babbitt (X, formerly Twitter).
The Trump administration is planning on settling a multimillion dollar wrongful death lawsuit filed by Aaron Babbitt, the husband of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed while storming the Capitol during the Jan. 6, riot.
Aaron Babbitt’s lawyer and attorneys with the Justice Department’s Civil Division confirmed that they had reached an agreement in principle to settle the case over Ashli Babbitt’s death during a hearing on Friday in Washington, D.C., according to a report from Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate WUSA.
According to the report, Robert Sticht, an attorney for the conservative activist group Judicial Watch, who is representing Aaron Babbitt, told the court that the two sides had reached a tentative agreement but were still negotiating some of the finer points settlement. The attorneys reportedly said that nothing had been signed as of Friday and details about the terms of the agreement were not divulged.
Friday’s emergency hearing was called by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes after Aaron Babbitt’s former attorney, Terrell N. Roberts, said he was notified about a possible settlement in the case and filed a motion for a temporary restraining order, claiming he is entitled to 25% of whatever amount is paid to the plaintiff.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
In the filing, Roberts said that Aaron Babbitt on Jan. 18, 2021, signed a written retainer to have Roberts represent him in “all civil claims” stemming form his wife’s death for a 40% contingency fee on any “money paid by way of settlement.” Roberts asserted that he performed “substantial legal services” for Aaron Babbitt before terminating his representation “for cause” on Feb. 25, 2022.
After having “cooperated” in Aaron Babbitt’s “transition to another attorney,” Roberts asserted that he was still entitled to some portion of any settlement paid to Babbitt’s husband and estate.
Roberts said he filed the motion after being notified of a possible settlement by a journalist from a “national mainstream news outlet” who reached him seeking comment after learning about the settlement from “a very reliable source.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, Babbitt and other supporters of then-President Donald Trump raided the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump continued to amplify the baseless claim that he actually won the 2020 presidential election, saying that victory had been stolen from him.
“Ashli traveled alone from San Diego to Washington, D.C. on January 5, 2021, to attend the Women for America First (aka Save America) rally the next morning at the Ellipse, located just south of the White House,” the complaint stated. “The rally featured President Trump and prominent conservative speakers. Ashli loved her country and wanted to show her support for President Trump’s America First policies and to see and hear the president speak live while he remained in office. Ashli did not go to Washington as part of a group or for any unlawful or nefarious purpose. She was there to exercise what she believed were her God-given, American liberties and freedoms.”
As seen on video, members of the crowd smashed away at the barricaded doors.
“He’s got a gun!” a man can be heard saying in footage of the incident.
As Babbitt attempted to climb through one of the broken glass panels, a Capitol officer opened fire and struck her in the shoulder area. She fell backward, and later died from her injuries.
The Justice Department under the Biden administration had not indicated any plans to settle the case with Babbitt’s husband prior to Trump taking office in January.
