The victims of a 2022 mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade can proceed with negligence claims against Smith & Wesson and other gun retailers and distributors, an Illinois judge ruled this week.
On April 1, Lake County Circuit Judge Jorge L. Ortiz denied the defendants’ motions to dismiss claims brought by individuals affected by the Highland Park, Illinois shooting that left seven dead and 48 others injured. The plaintiffs—backed by attorneys with Romanucci & Blandin, Everytown Law, and Wallace Miller—accused Smith & Wesson, an online gun distributor, and an Illinois gun retailer, of unfair business practices and negligence for the allegedly deceptive marketing of the weapon ultimately used in the attack.