As anger follows grief in the Littleton, Colo., school shootings, people have begun to ask who is legally responsible for the killings.
Litigation in earlier school shootings has already begun expanding tort law, but some attorneys say that this incident, the eighth of its kind in the past 18 months, could expand it even further. “I predict a huge impact on liability theories from this type of tragedy,” said Denise Dunleavy, of New York’s Weitz & Luxenberg, who has successfully represented gunshot victims against gun manufacturers. The actions stemming from past school shootings are in the preliminary stages, but lawyers are targeting different kinds of parties in novel suits.
