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Judge allows Virginia Tech wrongful death lawsuits to proceed

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A Virginia judge ruled Tuesday that lawsuits filed by two families whose children were killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech school shooting may proceed. Judge William Alexander of the Franklin County Circuit Court ruled that the defendants, university President Charles Steger, Executive Vice President James Hyatt, and employees of the university's Cook Counseling Center, are not immune from suit. Claims against the other defendants named in the lawsuit, including the New River Community Services Board, top university administrators, and the university itself, were dismissed. Alexander's ruling permits the suits to move forward with pre-trial discovery and possibly a trial. The suit was filed in April by the parents of Julie Pryde and Erin Peterson, who were shot and killed by fellow student Seung-Hoi Cho. In June 2008, a Virginia judge approved an $11 million settlement with the families of 24 people who had been killed in the shooting. The settlement awarded each family $100,000 plus medical expenses and provides for meetings with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and university and police officials. The Pryde and Peterson families did not participate in the settlement agreement. The Virginia Tech shooting left 33 people dead and wounded 25 in the deadliest school shooting in US history.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 13, 2010 (boomark / email).