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Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge rules lawsuit against gun manufacturer, dealers linked to Highland Park mass shooting can proceed
A lawsuit against firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson and two other gun dealers linked to the July Fourth 2022 mass shooting in Highland Park will be allowed to move forward, a Lake County judge ruled Tuesday. Judge Jorge Ortiz denied Smith & Wesson's motions to dismiss counts of unfair business practices and negligence but granted a motion to dismiss allegations around deceptive business practices in a 34-page decision. Ortiz also denied a motion to dismiss filed by the other two gun dealers named in the case, Red Dot Arms in Lake Villa and Lawyers and advocates hailed the decision as a 'major victory' for the plaintiffs in the case, who were injured or lost family members in the shooting. Survivors of the shooting and its victims first accused Smith & Wesson of 'negligent and unlawful marketing' targeting people such as Robert Crimo III in September 2022. The lawsuits, now consolidated into one case, also alleged that Red Dot Arms and Bud's Gun Shop in Kentucky both facilitated Crimo's purchase of M&P 15, an AR-15-style weapon produced by the gunmaker. Crimo pleaded guilty to carrying out the shooting last month with that weapon. 'Today's historic decision sends a clear message that the gun industry does not have carte blanche to engage in irresponsible marketing of assault rifles, without any concern for the obvious dangers of such marketing,' a group of attorneys representing the plaintiffs said in a statement. Attorneys for Smith & Wesson didn't respond to an emailed request for comment Tuesday afternoon. Crimo, now 24, pleaded guilty to the criminal charges against him on March 3 in an about-face that relieved survivors of the shooting and their families, who had been preparing to recount their experiences of that day in court. Robert Crimo III pleads guilty to Highland Park parade shooting; Mayor calls it '1,000%' better than a trial Crimo's father Robert Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty in 2023 to seven counts of misdemeanor reckless conduct for sponsoring his son's firearm license application. Crimo Jr. was ordered to spend 60 days in Lake County Jail but was freed early for good behavior. Another flurry of lawsuits was still pending against the Illinois State Police for approving Crimo's firearm owner's identification card application despite concerns he was a danger to public safety. The civil case is next set for a hearing May 1. Crimo is set to be sentenced April 23.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Illinois court rules lawsuit against maker of gun used in Highland Park mass shooting can proceed
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — An Illinois court ruled Tuesday that a lawsuit filed against the manufacturer of the gun used in the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooting can go to trial. The lawsuit was filed in June of 2024 on behalf of the family of Eduardo Uvaldo, who was one of seven people killed in the mass shooting, as well as a group of survivors and families of children who were also present. More Coverage: Highland Park Parade Shooting The lawsuit alleges that gun maker Smith & Wesson marketed and sold its M&P 15 rifle to teenagers, despite its use in previous mass shootings over the last decade, knowing that the marketing promoted and sold an image that catered to and attracted high-risk young men. The lawsuit further claims that Smith & Wesson's marketing practices 'constituted a negligent entrustment and violated an Illinois state consumer protection law in its promotion of the lethal and criminal use of the weapon.' Last month, just moments before opening statements in his trial were set to begin, 24-year-old Robert Crimo III pleaded guilty to killing seven people and injuring dozens more when he opened fire during the Independence Day parade in Highland Park. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines The last-minute plea halted a trial that was expected to last about a month, where testimony from survivors and police was also expected. Prior to the trial, prosecutors had submitted thousands of pages of evidence and hours of a videotaped interrogation during which police claim Crimo confessed to the shooting. Additionally, the court decided Tuesday that claims against gun sellers Bud's Gun Shop and Red Dot Arms could go forward. The lawsuit alleges both shops sold a weapon to someone they knew was not allowed to have it. Mom of Highland Park shooter asserts son's innocence after courtroom outburst In 2019, at age 19, Crimo III was only allowed to apply for a gun license with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father agreed, despite the fact that a relative had previously reported to authorities that Crimo III had a collection of knives and had previously threatened to 'kill everyone.' Crimo's father, Robert Crimo Jr., a one-time mayoral candidate, later faced charges in connection with how his son obtained the gun license. He eventually pleaded guilty to reckless conduct in 2023 for sponsoring his son's gun application and served a 60-day jail sentence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Judge rules lawsuit against gun manufacturer, dealers linked to Highland Park mass shooting can proceed
A lawsuit against firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson and two other gun dealers linked to the July Fourth 2022 mass shooting in Highland Park will be allowed to move forward, a Lake County judge ruled Tuesday. Judge Jorge Ortiz denied Smith & Wesson's motions to dismiss counts of unfair business practices and negligence but granted a motion to dismiss allegations around deceptive business practices in a 34-page decision. Ortiz also denied a motion to dismiss filed by the other two gun dealers named in the case, Red Dot Arms in Lake Villa and Lawyers and advocates hailed the decision as a 'major victory' for the plaintiffs in the case, who were injured or lost family members in the shooting. Survivors of the shooting and its victims f irst accused Smith & Wesson of 'negligent and unlawful marketing' targeting people such as Robert Crimo III in September 2022. The lawsuits, now consolidated into one case, also alleged that Red Dot Arms and Bud's Gun Shop in Kentucky both facilitated Crimo's purchase of M&P 15, an AR-15-style weapon produced by the gunmaker. Crimo pleaded guilty to carrying out the shooting last month with that weapon. 'Today's historic decision sends a clear message that the gun industry does not have carte blanche to engage in irresponsible marketing of assault rifles, without any concern for the obvious dangers of such marketing,' a group of attorneys representing the plaintiffs said in a statement. Attorneys for Smith & Wesson didn't respond to an emailed request for comment Tuesday afternoon. Crimo, now 24, pleaded guilty to the criminal charges against him on March 3 in an about-face that relieved survivors of the shooting and their families, who had been preparing to recount their experiences of that day in court. Crimo's father Robert Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty in 2023 to seven counts of misdemeanor reckless conduct for sponsoring his son's firearm license application. Crimo Jr. was ordered to spend 60 days in Lake County Jail but was freed early for good behavior. Another flurry of lawsuits was still pending against the Illinois State Police for approving Crimo's firearm owner's identification card application despite concerns he was a danger to public safety. The civil case is next set for a hearing May 1. Crimo is set to be sentenced April 23.
CBS News
01-04-2025
- CBS News
Highland Park mass shooting victim's lawsuit against Smith & Wesson allowed to go forward by Illinois court
An Illinois court has allowed a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a Highland Park mass shooting victim against gunmaker Smith & Wesson to go forward. Smith & Wesson makes the M&P 15 Tactical Rifle, the AR-15-style gun that was used in the July 4, 2022 mass shooting in Highland Park that killed seven people and injured dozens more. Robert Crimo III pleaded guilty to 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted murder on the first day of what would have been his trial at the beginning of March, and likely faces life in prison without parole. His father, Robert Crimo Jr., pleaded guilty and served 60 days in jail on seven felony counts of reckless conduct when he signed the application for his son to obtain an Illinois Firearm Ownership Identification, or FOID, card. The family of Eduardo Uvalde, who was one of the seven people killed in the parade shooting , filed the wrongful death lawsuit in June 2024, with a group of survivors and families of children who were present that day joining them. The lawsuit alleges Smith & Wesson continued to market and sell the M&P 15 and also pushed it on teenagers despite it being used in four mass shootings in the past 10 years. The M&P 15 was used in the mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado; San Bernardino, California; Parkland, Florida and Poway, California. Families said the company's decision to continue to market and sell the weapon, particularly to teenagers, constituted a negligent entrustment and violated an Illinois state consumer protection law in promoting the lethal and criminal use of the weapon. The court also allowed claims to move forward against and Red Dot Arms, gun shops that sold the gun Crimo III used in the shooting. Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, which previously represented the nine Sandy Hook families in the settlement against Remington, and Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. is representing the plaintiffs in court.
