Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 3
Jan. 6 Defendants Pursue Payouts for 400 Clients After $1.8 Billion Fund Is Scrapped
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 3

Jan. 6 Defendants Pursue Payouts for 400 Clients After $1.8 Billion Fund Is Scrapped

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 3

Summary

  • About 400 Jan. 6 defendants are still seeking compensation from the federal government, with lawyer Peter Ticktin saying he has filed claims for roughly 200 clients and plans 200 more.
  • At least $1 million per person is being sought in a new lawsuit for nine plaintiffs, using the Federal Tort Claims Act after the Justice Department abandoned its proposed $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund.
  • Donald Trump encouraged the push this week, saying pardoned Jan. 6 defendants "should be reimbursed," while Ticktin said he expects a more receptive response from U.S. attorneys in Washington under Jeanine Pirro.
  • More than 1,580 people were charged over the Jan. 6 attack, including over 1,000 guilty pleas, underscoring the scale of any compensation effort even after the dedicated fund was dropped.

Insights

With victim funds dwindling after mass pardons, who will ultimately bear the cost of these new multimillion-dollar lawsuits?
After presidential pardons wiped their slates clean, what legal path remains for Jan. 6 participants to win government compensation?