Parents of Uvalde victims sue Meta, Activision for alleged part in glorifying gun violence
Uvalde parents sue companies for gun violence promotion
Parents of the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, are suing major American companies on the allegation that they glorified guns and violence, in part leading to the deaths of 19 children.
DALLAS - Parents of the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, are suing major American companies on the allegation that they glorified guns and violence, in part leading to the deaths of 19 children.
Uvalde parents sue Instagram, COD
UVALDE, TEXAS - APRIL 27: A memorial dedicated to the 19 children and two adults murdered on May 24, 2022 during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School is seen on April 27, 2023 in Uvalde, Texas. The town of Uvalde prepares to mark the 1-year an
On Friday, a court hearing in a California court discussed whether the suit can go forward or be thrown out, as the defendants - some of the biggest companies in America - are asking.
The litigants are trying to connect the chain of events from what happened in that school that day from the man that brought the firearm to campus and started shooting back to how he got the gun and decided to commit the atrocity.
The parents see Call of Duty, the most popular game series of all time, as glorifying the same gun purchased and used by the 18-year-old in Uvalde. They also aim to hold the tech companies that gave the game a platform responsible in part for what happened at Robb Elementary.
21 were killed, including 19 children, and 17 others were injured.
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What they're saying:
"There's a claim against the gun manufacturer for sort of selling to people like the buyer who ultimately dealt the harm in Uvalde. There's a claim against Activision for selling a game that teaches you essentially how to operate that kind of firearm. And there's a claim against the social media companies for making the other companies look good," Coale said.
Constitutional lawyer David Coale, who is uninvolved in the case, says both gun manufacturers and tech companies have federal laws that shield them from many of these types of lawsuits.
For Meta and Instagram, it’s the Communications Decency Act, and a part of that considers tech companies no different from a power company that sends electricity through its lines.
"But one of the arguments that's developed in these cases is that no, you're not like the power company, you have algorithms that actually go into the flow of information on your site, and you adjust it and send it to people that you think they are going to be more interested in and want to interact with," Coale said.
A lot of eyes are watching, because the laws that protect Meta and weapons manufacturers are designed to insulate them from lawsuits about certain activities.
"If they can make a crack in that armor and get behind it, then they get to pursue discovery, then they get to build their case, then they get to go to trial and that could really have some adverse consequences for the defendants," Coale said.
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Uvalde school shooting: Where things stand 3 years later
On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were killed when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire inside Robb Elementary in Uvalde.
Uvalde School Shooting Victims
Uvalde School Shooting Victims
Dig deeper:
19 Robb Elementary students were killed in the shooting.
- Xavier Javier Lopez, 10
- Amerie Jo Garza, 10
- Uziyah Garcia, 8
- Rojelio Torres, 10
- Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10
- Nevaeh Bravo, 10
- Makenna Lee Elrod, 10
- Eliahana 'Elijah Cruz' Torres, 10
- Eliana 'Ellie' Garcia, 9
- Alithia Ramirez, 10
- Jacklyn "Jackie" Cazares, 9
- Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
- Jailah Nicole Silguero, 11
- Jose Flores Jr, 10
- Alexandria "Lexi" Aniyah Rubio, 10
- Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10
- Tess "Tessy" Marie Mata, 10
- Maranda Gail Mathis, 11
- Layla Salazar, 10
Fourth-grade co-teachers 48-year-old Irma Garcia and 44-year-old Eva Mireles were also killed. Family members said at the time they both died trying to protect their students.
The Source: Information in this article came from public records and a FOX 4 interview with David Coale.