Court Rules Against Trump and Decides that Lawsuit Seeking to Hold Trump Accountable for January 6th Insurrection Will Proceed

  • February 18, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled against Donald J. Trump in Blassingame v. Trump. The court denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the case, allowing the case to go forward on the allegations that Trump violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and District of Columbia law on January 6, 2021 when he incited a mob of his supporters to invade Congress and injure more than a hundred law enforcement officers, including the two plaintiffs, Capitol Police Officers James Blassingame Jr. and Sidney Hemby. The decision by Judge Amit Mehta can be found here.

Officers Blassingame and Hemby brought this case to seek redress for the injuries they sustained while serving on duty and to hold President Trump accountable for his role in the attack on our government and electoral system. They are represented by the Washington D.C. law firm of Patrick Malone & Associates and attorneys from Protect Democracy.

Plaintiff James Blassingame said of today’s opinion, “It’s good to see that no one is above the law. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions. Hopefully, a jury will see all of the evidence and make the appropriate determination.”

“The acts of political violence carried out on January 6 caused undeniable harm to our police officer clients, many other police officers, the American people, and our democracy,” said lead counsel Patrick Malone, of Patrick Malone & Associates. “The court’s decision is a victory for Officers Blassingame and Hemby, as well as our democracy, and brings us one step closer to uncovering the truth of what happened on that day. We are heartened by the court’s decision to allow the lawsuit to proceed to discovery.”

“This decision affirms no one is above the law, not even the president,” said Cameron Kistler, Counsel at Protect Democracy, “and those who threaten our democracy will be held accountable for their actions.”

More information about the lawsuit is available here and here.

Contact for further information:

Patrick Malone & Associates, P.C. 

Patrick A. Malone or Heather Kelly

202-742-1500

[email protected]

[email protected]

Protect Democracy: 

Jon Steinman, jon.steinman@protectdemocracy.org