Parkland Suit Misses FBI, Broward County Sheriff And School Officials

Parkland survivor files first victim lawsuit against multiple people, entities

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An attorney for Parkland, Florida, shooting survivor Anthony Borges has filed the first victim lawsuit against multiple people and entities. Borges, who was released from the hospital less than two weeks ago, was shot fives times while barricading a classroom door to protect his classmates at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. (Image source: WFOR-TV screenshot)

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Jana J. PruetSR. STAFF WRITER

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The attorney for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor Anthony Borges filed a lawsuit against multiple people and entities in a Broward County Circuit Court, WFOR-TV reported.

Borges, who was released from the hospital less than two weeks ago, was shot fives times while barricading a classroom door to protect his classmates from the killer who tragically took 17 lives at the Parkland, Florida, school in February.

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“The main purpose for doing this is to get to the truth so this never happens again,” attorney Alex Arreaza told WFOR.

The lawsuit, which is the first one filed by a shooting victim, is seeking “damages in excess of $15,000,” according to the documents filed Tuesday.

Who are the defendants named in the lawsuit?

The list of defendants includes the killer, his deceased mother’s estate, and James and Kimberly Snead, the host family who took the killer into their home after his mother’s death.

Broward County records showed the killer’s mother had contacted authorities on multiple times about her son’s behavioral problems.

“When she didn’t address this problem with her kid, eventually 17 people paid with their lives,” Arreaza told WFOR-TV.

The attorney said the Sneads should have recognized there was a problem when the killer brought an AR-15 into their home.

“He’s not bringing a stray dog into the house that he wants to keep,” Arreaza said. “He’s bringing an AR-15. This is a serious rifle. You have the responsibility to ask questions.”

Also included in the suit are multiple mental health facilities: Henderson Behavioral Health, Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health, and South County Mental Health Center, which treated and evaluated the killer before his murderous rampage.

“They had all the warning signs over there,” Arreaza said. “They even at one point cleared him.”

What did the Sneads’ attorney say?

Jim Lewis, attorney for the Sneads said he’s worried that the lawsuit will deter others from taking in troubled youth for fear of being held responsible if something goes wrong.

“We feel so sorry what happened at Stoneman Douglas,” Lewis told WFOR. “But the Sneads are not responsible — not morally, ethically, or legally.”