Fifteen student survivors of the Valentine’s Day shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Broward County and several public officials, including Sheriff Scott Israel, the school’s resource officer Scot Peterson, and school superintendent Robert Runcie.
None of the plaintiffs were shot, but they are seeking unspecified monetary damages for the psychological trauma they allegedly suffered as a result of the Broward County officials’ collective negligence and actions.
The lawsuit claims that school officials and law enforcement knew the school was being targeted by gunman Nikolas Cruz but failed to take proper action to prevent the shooting, which left 17 people dead.
Noticeably absent as a defendant is the NRA, which became the target of national outrage after the shooting even though Cruz was not a member of the National Rifle Association.
The reason why the NRA is not a defendant is because the plaintiffs know they have no case against the organization, despite the manufactured anti-NRA media outrage.
Also curiously absent as a plaintiff is David Hogg, whom the mainstream media groomed as their anti-Second Amendment spokesman following the massacre.
After the shooting, Hogg gleefully launched numerous protests against the NRA and even unsuccessfully called for a boycott of Florida tourism until stricter gun laws are passed.
Grown ups answer teen activist’s ill-conceived plan for tourists to boycott Florida until gun laws are passed https://t.co/yHD6Tjueev pic.twitter.com/xO8qudAnsH
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) February 27, 2018
The lawsuit alleges that the high school’s security officer, Scot Peterson, failed to protect the students when the shooting occurred, and didn’t even bother to go inside the school to confront the shooter.
Peterson was the only person on the school grounds with a gun when the massacre unfolded.
“His job duties required him to run towards danger at risk of life and limb, and not to run away from danger for the sole purpose of sole-preservation,” the complaint alleges. “His arbitrary and conscience-shocking actions and inactions directly and predictably caused children to die, get injured, and get traumatized.”
As BizPac Review previously reported, the public was stunned after learning that deputies with the Broward Country Sheriff’s Office were ordered not to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School while students were being slaughtered inside by gunman Nikolas Cruz.
Interestingly, one of the causes of action in the lawsuit is alleged violation of students’ Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. The plaintiffs claimed that school security officer Scot Peterson conducted illegal searches and seizures when he checked the students’ backpacks during the shooting.
The Twitter reaction to the lawsuit was interesting. Fox.com writer Stephen Miller sarcastically noted, “This can’t be right. Not a single NRA member was named in the lawsuit.”
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1017205131115401216
Hunter Pollack, whose 18-year-old sister Meadow Pollack died in the shooting, demanded the firing of Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie.
https://twitter.com/PollackHunter/status/1016868270958399488
Kenneth Preston, a student at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, explained the lawsuit in a series of tweets. Preston is not a party to the lawsuit.
15 Stoneman Douglas survivors have just filed a lawsuit against our Sheriff (@browardsheriff), our Superintendent (@RobertwRuncie), and others for failing to protect them.
Here's a thread of everyone they're suing and why. pic.twitter.com/K3uLaqIE0n
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) July 11, 2018
2) Sheriff Scott Israel: Lawsuit alleges that the Sheriff and Broward County “demonstrated deliberate indifference through their policies and procedures and through their inadequate training and supervision.” They claim that his indifference contributed to the shooting. pic.twitter.com/zyqNWT9J4K
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) July 11, 2018
3) Superintendent Robert Runcie: Lawsuit alleges that Runcie was “aware of the potential danger the shooter posed” and “did nothing to address the issues.” They also claim that his “actions and inaction predictably allowed the shooter to cause the harm.” pic.twitter.com/YaSDhStuY7
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) July 11, 2018
4) Officer Scot Peterson: Lawsuit alleges that Peterson’s failure to confront the shooter led “directly and predictably caused children to die, get injured, and get traumatized.” pic.twitter.com/ltFE4UYca7
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) July 11, 2018
5) Captain Jan Jordan: Lawsuit alleges that Jordan “refused to allow emergency personnel to enter the school, even into the safe areas, to save lives.” pic.twitter.com/wolHWeP7Ke
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) July 11, 2018
6) Security Guard Andrew Medina: Lawsuit alleges that Medina “failed to stop Shooter, question him, or lock down the school, even though he saw
Shooter walk past him and he recognized Shooter to be a known danger to the school.” pic.twitter.com/mzBZOKd0oy— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) July 11, 2018
7) Broward County: Lawsuit alleges that the County’s “policies and procedures, and training or lack thereof, demonstrated deliberate indifference to the rights Plaintiffs, and that deliberate indifference caused the herein complained-of harm to take place.” pic.twitter.com/OKueuqCfA9
— Kenneth Preston (@kennethrpreston) July 11, 2018
Sarah Sanders hilariously trolls media when she’s asked a dumb question about NATO breakfast
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Samantha Chang is a senior staff writer for BizPac Review. She is a financial editor and lawyer based in New York City.
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