Lawyers for Morgan & Morgan have been retained by victims of the Jacksonville Landing shooting, the firm announced Tuesday.
The firm said they are suing parties related to the shooting but did not specifically name any possible defendants. They will file in state court, the firm said.
The firm announced they will be filing the first lawsuit on behalf of several victims of the shooting at Chicago’s Pizza located at the Landing Sunday.
“We will be filing a negligent security lawsuit on behalf of several victims who were either injured or severely hurt in a significant way either emotionally, physically, or the other,” attorney Matt Morgan said.
#NEW @forthepeople announced they will be filing a negligence security lawsuit this week on behalf of "several" victims from the #JacksonvilleLandingShooting. We know 1 of the victims was shot twice. They said they'll be looking into all potential parties.@ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/p1NvL5ElTN
— Elizabeth Pace (@PaceAnJax) August 28, 2018
Morgan said it was important to file suit as soon as possible after the shooting.
"(We filed quickly) to preserve all evidence we can get our hands on," Morgan said. "We don't have subpoena power until we file suit."
Morgan said the history of violence in the area will be a factor in their case.
“The landing has had a shooting as recent as 2017,” Morgan said. “Our building was shot two months ago. It is foreseeable that shootings could occur at this particular location given the history that we know. It is a foreseeable event in our opinion.”
“For that reason and many other reasons we are of the opinions that this event could have and should have been prevented had there been the proper safety measures in place to prevent this tragedy from occurring,” Morgan added.
Morgan would not confirm which entities they will be suing or involving in this case. However, Action News Jax Law and Safety expert Dale Carson said it could in the Landing, the police department, and the business itself.
“The litigation will be focused on the failure to provide adequate at the business establishment,” Carson said.
It is unclear which party was responsible for providing adequate security measures during the game tournament. Carson said the violent history of the area will be the leading argument for the lawsuit.
“It’s the only potential success they would have in demonstrating that they had these situations previously and they didn’t adequately protect.” Carson said.
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