A “settlement in principle” has been reached in the $30 million federal wrongful death lawsuit by the estate of Ashli Babbitt against the federal government, two attorneys said in a hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon.
No terms were disclosed in a hastily called hearing before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes. The hearing was scheduled to handle a motion from Terrell N. Roberts III, Babbitt’s previous attorney, who on May 2 sought a restraining order and a lien for at least 25% of the gross amount of any settlement.
'I have no idea why you’re talking right now.'
Judge Reyes ultimately denied Roberts’ request for a temporary restraining order, but not before the tense hearing descended into shouting. At one point, she repeatedly snapped at a Judicial Watch attorney representing Aaron Babbitt and the estate of his late wife.
Judicial Watch filed the $30 million wrongful death lawsuit in January 2024, alleging the federal government bears responsibility for Ashli Babbitt’s death during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd fatally shot Babbitt. The Biden administration later moved the case from San Diego to Washington, D.C., a change Judicial Watch has opposed.