A federal judge repeatedly shouted at the attorney representing the husband and estate of the late Ashli Babbitt during a settlement hearing in the wrongful death case, Blaze Media reported.
U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, who operates out of Washington, D.C., blasted Judicial Watch attorney Robert Sticht, who's in Los Angeles, multiple times during a hearing Monday for talking over her, according to the report. Reyes didn't appear to take into account an audio lag on the teleconference.
The hearing was to consider a motion by a former attorney for the Babbitt estate, Terrell Roberts III, who's looking to claim his original fee from the financial settlement despite abandoning the case in February 2022.
The Trump administration on May 2 reached a "settlement in principle" with the family of Babbitt, the Jan. 6 protester who was shot and killed by police inside the U.S. Capitol. The settlement resolves a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch on behalf of her husband, Aaron Babbitt.
Now, Roberts is seeking a 25% charging lien on the gross amount of the settlement, according to the report.
During the hearing, Sticht, whose name is pronounced "Stick," complained that Roberts' pursuit was causing expensive delays, according to the report.
"This is crazy, and it is costing a lot money," Sticht said. "And just so the court knows, for the record and all the press who may be on the telephone, Judicial Watch does not a get fee out of this settlement."
"Stop talking when I'm talking," Reyes shouted at Sticht, Blaze Media reported. "I have given you an opportunity to talk every single time you have asked. … The only thing I ask is that when I'm talking, you're not."
"We have a delay, your honor. We have a delay," Sticht said.
"All right, fine," the judge replied. "Stop talking."
Sticht said he would talk to Aaron Babbitt about diverting 25% of the settlement into a trust fund until an arbitration board rules on Roberts' request.
"I don't know any case anywhere where an attorney claims he fired a client, and then he wants the full amount of the fee when he didn't perform. I just don't know how that's going to fly," he said, according to the report.
Reyes in March blocked the Trump administration's transgender military ban, ruling that President Donald Trump's Jan. 27 executive order likely violated the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on sex discrimination.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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