Judge: Lawsuits vs Smith & Wesson over Highland Park massacre belong in Lake County, not federal court

A federal judge says a collection of lawsuits against gunmaker Smith & Wesson over the July 4, 2022, Highland Park massacre belong in Lake County court, and not federal court, in part because the lawsuits, in the judge’s view, don’t amount to a creative attempt by anti-gun activists and their lawyers, acting in the name of victims of the shootings, to sidestep federal jurisdiction and wage war against Second Amendment rights by punishing gunmakers for the actions of criminals.

In September 2022, a collection of families from Highland Park filed lawsuits in Lake County Circuit Court against Smith & Wesson, the world’s largest maker of handguns and rifles.

Read more reporting by Jonathan Bilyk in the Cook County Record.