FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A judge has ruled that the lawsuit filed by families of the victims of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting against a former sheriff’s deputy who failed to intervene can move forward, rejecting his motion to dismiss the case before trial.
The lawsuit accuses fired Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson of displaying a “wanton and willful disregard” for the safety of the students and teachers during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
While Peterson was acquitted of criminal charges, the judge ruled that there is a lower level of proof required in a civil lawsuit, giving the families the opportunity to seek damages from him and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Attorneys for the families and survivors have supported the judge’s ruling, stating that evidence supports her decision. However, Peterson’s attorneys have not commented on the ruling.
The lawsuit against Peterson is one of several legal actions taken in the aftermath of the 2018 shooting, which claimed 17 lives. The families and survivors previously settled claims with the FBI and the Broward school district for a combined $153 million.
Peterson, who retired shortly after the shooting and was then fired retroactively, was the first U.S. police officer to be criminally charged with failing to act during a school shooting. He was acquitted of child neglect in June, but the lawsuit against him will continue to trial.
In a 2022 penalty trial, the jury could not unanimously agree whether the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, deserved the death penalty, and he was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Florida later changed its death penalty law to require only an 8-4 vote for a judge to sentence a convicted murderer to death.