UVALDE, Texas – In the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary, several lawsuits have been filed by families of victims and by survivors of the shooting.
Mayah Zamora, now 11 years old, was shot seven times by the gunman and fought to survive those injuries.
Months later, her parents have filed a lawsuit.
“I think the approach to the lawsuit is fairly simple. There’s a problem in this country that’s reached pandemic levels,” said David Neiman, an attorney with Romanucci Blandin Law.
The Chicago-based law office filed an 85-page lawsuit on behalf of Zamora and one of the other survivors of the Robb Elementary tragedy back in November.
“Right now, it’s still at the early stages in the litigation, at the pleadings stages. And so we’re hopeful that we can progress with the litigation and learn more about what happened on that fateful day,” Neiman said.
A laundry list of defendants is cited, including the city of Uvalde, several members of various law enforcement agencies, Uvalde CISD, and Daniel Defense, the maker of the weapon used in the Robb Elementary shooting on May 24, 2022.
“The fact that this young man was able to gain access to these powerful weapons and use them in the manner -- there’s accountability for those defendants as well. So it’s wide-ranging but for a good reason,” Neiman said.
The Zamora family isn’t alone in filing a lawsuit of this nature. Several victims’ families have filed similar lawsuits while others say they’re waiting until the conclusion of the investigation into the shooting.
“What does success look like in this lawsuit?” KSAT 12 News reporter Leigh Waldman asked.
“I think that’s a good question. I think that it’s different per person, per individual, per victim. From a legal perspective, if this case can be part of the building block to help cultivate future change, I think that’s success,” Neiman said.
Typically, after a mass shooting like the one in Uvalde, lawsuits are filed. However, they’re not always successful.
Neiman believes this lawsuit has the momentum needed to get the outcome for which they’re hoping.
“We’re hopeful that -- based upon the circumstances of this case, the facts of this case, and the trends that we’re seeing nationwide -- that this is the time is right now,” Neiman said.
Watch and interact with KSAT’s Special Project, “One Year In: Uvalde.”
