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Jan. 6 Participants File Class-Action Alleging Excessive Force by Capitol and D.C. Police

The case could test whether Trump's mass pardons shift how the government defends Jan. 6 civil claims.

Overview

  • The class-action lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Florida, names 46 plaintiffs and seeks $18.4 million plus class status.
  • The complaint alleges Capitol Police and D.C. officers fired chemical munitions, pepper spray and impact rounds and used batons on the Capitol’s west side without dispersal warnings.
  • Plaintiffs include Proud Boys figures Dominic Pezzola and Christopher Worrell and lead plaintiff Alan E. Fischer, with several having received pardons or commutations from President Trump.
  • The filing says many plaintiffs first pursued administrative claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act that remain unresolved, and the Justice Department and police have not provided a substantive public response.
  • Coverage notes that Jan. 6 produced widespread violence and officer injuries and that the government previously paid nearly $5 million to settle the Ashli Babbitt case, a context that could influence expectations for this suit.