Highland Park Fourth of July massacre: First lawsuits filed, call attack ‘predictable and preventable’

Families of three people killed in the Highland Park Fourth of July parade massacre and dozens who were wounded filed suit Wednesday in Lake County against gun-maker Smith & Wesson, two gun stores, the man who’s been charged in the shootings and his father, accusing them in part of violating Illinois consumer laws in the lead-up to the attack.

“Our legal theory on the complaint is that this was predictable and preventable,” said attorney Anthony Romanucci, whose Romanucci & Blandin law firm is part of a legal team filing a series of lawsuits, asserting the “shooter was the type of a young consumer susceptible to Smith & Wesson’s deceptive and unfair marketing, and was enabled by his father.”

The civil actions — separate from the criminal charges that shooting suspect Robert Crimo III faces — cite what they say are violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits consumer fraud and deceptive practices.

Read more.