Orlando law firm Morgan & Morgan announced during a press conference on Tuesday that it’ll file a negligence lawsuit on behalf of the Jacksonville shooting survivors.
Morgan & Morgan allege that there was serious security negligence, a factor that played a part in the Jacksonville incident that left two dead and 11 injured. On Aug. 26, Madden 19 player David “Bread” Katz, 24, opened fire on a Madden Championship Series qualifying event. After killing Eli “Trueboy” Clayton and Taylor “spotmeplzzz” Robertson and injuring 10 others, Katz turned the gun on himself. (Another patron was injured in the shooting’s aftermath.)
Related: Madden Commissioner: The Championship Series will return following Jacksonville shooting
The law firm is reportedly representing victims of the shooting, including one person who was shot several times, according to News4 Jax. “Business as usual on the security front will no longer be tolerated by Americans,” Morgan said. “We must demand more from business owners. It’s time for business owners and event organizers to step up their game.”
Morgan & Morgan added that it had been contacted for previous shooting events, but took on this case because the lawyers believe it could have been prevented with more security. The team brought up a January 2017 shooting at The Jacksonville Landing, suggesting that the Madden shooting “should have been forseen,” News4 Jax reported.
Morgan & Morgan has a local office across from the Landing, according the The Huffington Post. The law firm’s office has reportedly been shot at in the past two months.
“It is a different time in America,” Morgan said. “It is not a time for bare-bones security or no security at all because, as Americans, we trust that business owners and event organizers are going to protect us.”
Morgan & Morgan declined to comment on the details of the suit, including what entity is being sued.
Earlier in the week, EA CEO Andrew Wilson announced that all Madden Classic qualifying events are canceled following the shooting. Events were scheduled for the rest of September in Virginia, California, and Texas. Madden commissioner Matt Marcou wrote that the tournament series will return.
