Lawyer Plans To Sue State Of Connecticut For $100-Million On Behalf Of Sandy Hook Survivor
NEWTOWN, CT(CBSNewYork/AP) -- A lawyer wants to sue the State of Connecticut for $100-million on behalf of a six-year-old who survived the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The child suffered emotional and psychological trauma because the state failed to provide a safe setting, according to the attorney.
``It's about living in a world that's safe,'' New Haven attorney Irving Pinsky told The Associated Press on Saturday. ``The answer is about protecting the kids.''
Pinsky asked this week to sue the state, which has immunity against most lawsuits unless it gives a party permission to go forward with a claim. Connecticut's claims commissioner couldn't be reached for comment Saturday.
Pinksy's client, whom he calls ``Jill Doe'' in the claim, sustained ``emotional and psychological trauma and injury'' on Dec. 14 after gunman Adam Lanza gunned down 20 children and six adults inside in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
The child heard ``conversations, gunfire and screaming'' over Sandy Hook's intercom after someone in the office apparently switched on the system, according to the claim. Pinsky said Saturday he didn't know whether his client saw anyone die.
The state Board of Education, Department of Education and state education commissioner failed to protect the child ``from foreseeable harm,'' including by failing to provide a safe school setting, the filing said.
It also said the parties failed to review and carefully scrutinize annual strategic school profile reports from the local school district and Sandy Hook Elementary as well as ``other submissions with respect to student safety and emergency response planning and protocol.''
It says the parties also failed to require the school and local Board of Education to formulate and implement an effective student safety emergency response plan.
Pinsky said Saturday he didn't want to reveal more about the 6-year-old or details about her experience during the shooting because of privacy concerns.
How do you feel about the possible suit? You can sound off in our comments section below...
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
