The District of Columbia has settled a lawsuit with Sam O’Hara, a protester who was detained in September 2025 for following National Guard troops while playing Darth Vader’s theme song, The Imperial March, from Star Wars. The settlement terms, including the compensation amount, remain undisclosed. O’Hara, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), claimed he was illegally detained for protesting the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.
O’Hara’s lawsuit alleged that he played the song at a low volume as a form of satire, protesting the normalization of military presence in the city. He recorded the encounters and posted them on TikTok, where they garnered millions of views. One of the National Guard members, Sgt. Devon Beck, reportedly summoned police to stop the protest, leading to O’Hara’s detention.
The settlement resolves claims against the District of Columbia and four Metropolitan Police Department officers but does not affect the ongoing lawsuit against Sgt. Beck. O’Hara stated that the settlement reaffirms the importance of defending constitutional freedoms, particularly when authorities attempt to silence dissent.
The D.C. mayor’s office, police department, and attorney general’s office declined to comment on the settlement.