Civil Complaint filed for the “predictable and entirely preventable” deadly mass tragedy in New Orleans on January 1, 2025

January 30, 2025

Maples & Connick and national mass disaster law firm Romanucci & Blandin detail systemic failures of those entrusted with public safety

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NEW ORLEANS (January 30, 2025) – In the early morning hours of a new year, January 1, 2025, everyone’s nightmare became a reality for dozens of people in New Orleans. Their trust in stepping into a crowded public place turned to horror, traumatic injuries, emotional trauma and death. And it never had to happen. If public safety officials, municipal leaders and city contractors had properly done their jobs, so many lives would never have been upended.

Today, Romanucci & Blandin and Maples & Connick announce the filing of a lawsuit in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana against the City of New Orleans, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), French Quarter Management District, Mott MacDonald, LLC, Hard Rock Construction, LLC, and another defendant for their respective roles in the preventable mass tragedy that occurred. The tragic event claimed the lives of 14 people, injured dozens, and left an indelible scar on those who were present and the broader public.

The lawsuit, filed on January 29, 2025, seeks justice for the victims and their families, holding those responsible accountable for their failure to protect the community despite clear warning signs and predictable risks.

Preventable Tragedy

The horrific events in the early hours of the new year were the predictable and entirely preventable result of a chain of events initiated by the actions and inactions taken by Defendants. For nearly a decade, New Orleans’ elected officials and public safety employees, along with their hired consultants and contractors were aware of the risk to the French Quarter, and specifically Bourbon Street, of a coordinated attack involving the use of a motor vehicle to strike and attack pedestrians.

Following the deadly Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, on July 14, 2016, in which a driver drove a box truck on the Promenade des Anglais, killing 86 and injuring 434 others, major city centers all around the world, including New Orleans, were placed on alert for copycat attacks. To prepare against this type of attack, New Orleans utilized $40 million in taxpayer money to purchase and install the equipment needed to keep its residents and visitors safe. Despite years of preparation and warnings of motor vehicle-based attacks, New Orleans officials and their hired consultants and contractors recklessly and willfully put the New Year’s celebrants at risk by focusing reconstruction of safety systems to be ready for the Super Bowl at the expense of New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl. The City deviated from its own public safety plan for New Year's Eve and the Sugar Bowl, a decision that completely exposed Bourbon Street to just the type of attack they were warned to take all reasonable precautions to stop. The Defendants gave the opportunity to a dangerous person intent upon taking innocent lives and depriving the public’s right to be safe from violence. All of these actors must be held accountable for the massacre on Bourbon Street on New Year's Eve, 2025.

The Plaintiffs and their stories of terror and courage

Plaintiffs are: Antoinette Klima, as parent and natural guardian of L.H., a minor; Elle Eisele; Steele Idelson; Daniel Ortega, Jacob Wilson, Leo Spadoni, Jessica Wilson, Nickia Brock, Jomarcko White, Cody Lanansa, Daniel Behnke, Laci Brabham, Thomas Trussell, John Reiss, Keith Eldridge, Nina McCracken, Harodasha Marrero, Lauren Norman, Carla White Hall, Brittany Ward and Adele Strong.

All plaintiffs have been traumatized and forever changed by the tragic events. Of particular note is the son of Antoinette Klima and Reggie Hunter. Reggie died in the attack. Reggie is remembered as “the life of the party” and someone with a big heart who was funny, loving and caring. While many will miss the big smile and caring ways of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, the hole left in the life of L.H., Reggie’s oldest son, can never be replaced.

Further, the Eisele family came to New Orleans from Fort Myers, Florida, to cheer on their Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. Their daughter, Elle Eisele, a student at the University of Georgia, and her friend Steele Idelson, a student at San Diego State University, went to Bourbon Street for New Year's celebrations and to have fun before the Sugar Bowl the next day. Elle and Steele met up with a group of people their age and walked down Bourbon Street at 3:12 am. The last thing Steele remembers is hearing the noise of the truck, and then she and Elle turned around to look. They were hit directly by the truck and violently thrown like rag dolls in the street, both receiving multiple traumatic and life-threatening injuries. The boys they were with were killed. In the days following the incident, Steele met the police officer who carried her to an ambulance. He tells her that of all the people he tried to render aid to that night, she’s the only one who survived. Neither Elle nor Steele are able to return to school this semester and are homebound while their bodies and minds start the long recovery.

The Attack

It should have been a time for renewal and celebration in the City of New Orleans in the early morning hours on New Year's Day, January 1, 2025. Just hours earlier, thousands of people descended on the French Quarter to ring in 2025 with their friends and family. Throngs of University of Georgia Bulldog and University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans flanked Bourbon Street, visiting New Orleans to cheer on their football teams in the Sugar Bowl to be played later that day at the Caesar’s Superdome down the street. Minutes after 3:00 am on New Year's Day, Shamsud-Din Jabbar approached the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon Street in a Ford F-150 rented through the car-sharing service Turo.

As Shamsud-Din Jabbar passed the far end of the intersection, guarded at the time by only a single New Orleans Police Department Ford Explorer cruiser, he turned right, jumped the curb in front of Walgreens pharmacy and sped down Bourbon Street, striking, killing and maiming scores of people along the street. Police fatally shot Jabbar.

The Actions or Inactions by Defendants enabled the attack to take place

Each Defendant enabled the Jabbar to carry out his deadly attack on January 1, 2025.

First, The City so terribly mismanaged the timing of the bollard replacement project, with a singular focus on Super Bowl preparedness, that it left the obvious and significant target night of New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl badly exposed to a predictable threat.

Second, NOPD implemented and/or failed to follow its own security measures and implement reasonable security to make Bourbon Street a safe and secure environment for Plaintiffs on January 1, 2025.

Third, FQMD failed in its stated mission in its bylaws to “Improve public safety in the District” (which includes Bourbon Street) by recklessly failing to implement reasonable safety and security measures along Bourbon Street and recklessly replacing the failed system without any interim or backup measures, exposing New Year’s and Sugar Bowl celebrants to unnecessary risk.

Fourth, Mott negligently designed a security plan recommending and implementing poorly designed and manufactured bollard and wedge systems that would not withstand reasonably predictable abuse and wear and tear that any system would endure in the busy, rowdy and dirty environment of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.

Fifth, Hard Rock began construction on the bollard replacement project on November 18, 2024, with the goal of completing the project before the Super Bowl on February 9, 2025. Shockingly, on December 19, 2024, Hard Rock chose to begin work on the bollard replacement system at the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon Street, literally the front door to Bourbon Street, meaning the main and busiest access point would not have a fully operational system in place for New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl, two of the busiest nights of the year.

Counts in the civil complaint against each defendant include:

City of New Orleans – Negligence
French Quarter Management District – Negligence
New Orleans Police Department - Negligence
Mott McDonald (Engineering / Design Firm) - Negligence
Hard Rock Construction, Inc. (General Contractor for Project) - Negligence

Attorneys representing the Plaintiffs include Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci, Managing Partner Gina A. DeBoni, Partner Michael D. Cerasa, Senior Attorney Patrick A. Huber, Attorney Sam A. Harton from Romanucci & Blandin, and Partners Aaron Maples and Brendan Connick from Maples & Connick in New Orleans.

Romanucci & Blandin has secured justice in many cases against numerous municipalities, including the historic settlement against Minneapolis and its Police Department for the murder of George Floyd, and the firm currently represents the family of Tyre Nichols for his beating death by Memphis Police Officers, recently secured an historic $98 million verdict for the Dallas police shooting death of Botham Jean, among other cases. Romanucci & Blandin also brings substantial experience in the arena of mass disasters, representing loved ones and survivors impacted by mass shootings around the country, including The Fourth of July Parade in Highland Park, Illinois; Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky; Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada; and the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

“This lawsuit underscores that this tragedy was not an unavoidable act of violence but the result of systemic failure by those entrusted with safeguarding the public who had years of repeated knowledge of the risk in public spaces such as Bourbon Street. Residents and visitors trusted New Orleans officials to keep them safe, and it is deeply troubling that municipal leaders and contractors were clearly aware of the vulnerability of Bourbon Street to this type of predictable and preventable tragedy. Our clients‘ lives are forever changed and we will hold all those responsible to account for this harm,” said Romanucci & Blandin Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci. “Further, one cannot undertake a duty of hosting throngs of people and not protect them. They all cared about visitors’ attendance, profits, sales and the national spotlight, but did not adequately protect those crowds from the violence that we all know is the new normal."

“The defendants were negligent in their actions and/or failed to act on clear, credible warnings to public safety in popular pedestrian gathering spaces. It is deeply troubling that not only was there a lack of a reliable safety plan for Bourbon Street but also there was a lack of a suitable backup plan that would prevent a large-scale tragedy such as this,” said Romanucci & Blandin Partner Michael D. Cerasa.

“New Orleans is forever changed by this tragedy, and we’ve seen countless people now alter their behavior and avoid Bourbon Street and even the City itself out of fear for their physical safety. Further, it’s impossible to quantify how many people now suffer crippling depression, anxiety and nightmares from what they saw and heard during that attack. It is impossible to quantify this tragedy's astounding impact on our community,” said Maples & Connick Partner Aaron Maples.

“The people of New Orleans and the visitors we ask to visit all deserve better than what officials provided for protection over New Year’s Eve. There is no doubt that there were measures that could have been taken that weren’t - or weren’t done in a timely enough manner - to prevent the pain, suffering and loss of our clients. We demand change in our City so this type of preventable trauma never happens again,” said Maples & Connick Partner Brendan Connick.

Plaintiffs’ statements:

Antoniette Klima, whose son’s father, Reggie Hunter, was killed

“I am the mother of a young boy who tragically lost his father, Reggie Hunter, in the recent Bourbon Street attack. I had the privilege of knowing Reggie Hunter for nearly 20 years. Throughout our relationship, one thing we always agreed upon was that we wanted to give our son a better life than the one we had. Like most parents, we wanted more for him—more opportunities, more experiences, and more joy. For us, that meant soccer practice, learning a foreign language, joining the chess club, band rehearsals, and of course, all the chaotic noise that comes with it.

On New Year’s Day, I received the heartbreaking call that Reggie did not survive. Telling our son that his father was gone was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. And I’ve been through a lot in my life—surviving Hurricane Katrina, losing loved ones, and even wading through floodwaters to save my grandfather. But nothing, nothing compares to the pain of losing Reggie and having to break that news to our son.

Yesterday marked our son’s first birthday without his father. It’s been an incredibly tough time. Our son has been robbed of so many milestones—a father’s presence at his first dance, his first kiss, learning to drive, graduating, getting married. The list of what he’s missing is endless. I don’t know if the pain will ever fully go away. People say it gets easier, but I’m not sure. What I do know is that we must find a way to move forward. We must find accountability, seek justice, and work to ensure that no child ever has to suffer like this again due to senseless violence.”

Leo Spadoni, survived the attack

“Before that fateful night on New Year's in New Orleans, I was filled with hope and optimism about our city’s future. I felt secure and looked forward to each day, appreciating the vibrant community around me. That moment changed everything. In an instant, my sense of safety was shattered. The joy I once felt was replaced by a pervasive fear. The city that I once loved and felt a part of now feels like a place of danger and dread. This fear has made me apprehensive about venturing out and living a fulfilling life of enjoyment. The truck plowing through people not only ruined lives but also struck an incomprehensible fear in our hearts. How could the city let this happen to people who were simply there to celebrate? Who can we hold accountable for this catastrophe? The weight of the loss is immense, and some families will never receive their loved ones back. It is crucial that those responsible are held accountable. Justice must be served for the lives lost and for the fear instilled in our community. It is only through accountability that we can hope to reclaim a sense of safety and begin to heal. As a community, we must stand together and demand justice and accountability to find our way back to normalcy “

Daniel Ortega, survived the attack

“I am Daniel Ortega and I am a victim of the January 1^st, 2025 attack that took place in New Orleans. I’ve never been a person to travel away from home to experience New Year’s Eve in a popular location until this particular year, because I have always feared large groups of people, especially on special occasions. Unfortunately, now due to this unfortunate incident I can honestly say that I will live the rest of my existence hidden away from any event that draws attention and crowds of people. Before this event I was one who loved to attend concerts and college football games with friends (although even with my fear of something of this magnitude occurring, my love for football and concerts always prevailed) so I was extremely excited for New Year’s Eve in New Orleans since it would be my first big experience to celebrate the new year. During the attack I felt shock and numbness all over to where it felt like I could not breathe or move. Since being traumatized by this event, I have experienced a strong amount of depression, anxiety and an overwhelming amount of fear. I have been experiencing a lot of nightmares that have caused me to go endless nights without sleep and continue to prevent me from attending public places during busy hours. I pray that all those responsible will take accountability for this tragedy and justice prevails so that innocent people never have to live their lives in trauma and fear like the ones involved in this event and myself.”

Keith Eldridge, survived the attack

“I travelled to New Orleans for the first time on December 31^st to celebrate my 60^th birthday, which was on New Year’s Day. I happened to be on Bourbon Street in the 300 block at the time of this horrific attack. This tragic event has affected me in a way that it stays on my mind everyday: Morning, noon and night. I have continuous flashbacks everyday, and I no longer want to be in large crowds or events. I don’t think I will ever visit Bourbon Street again let alone New Orleans. The safety protocols that were in place were not sufficient barriers to protect people, but I truly hope all responsible will learn a lesson and keep it from ever happening again.“

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death. For more than 25 years, we have secured more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars and others record-setting awards. Our experience ranges from mass shootings, civil rights and police misconduct to medical malpractice, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents or workplace injury cases involving individual or institutional negligence. Romanucci & Blandin is a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors differentiate our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We are different from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured. We are often inspired by our clients’ experiences and commit resources to create change in our communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit https://www.rblaw.net/ or call (312) 458-1000.

About Maples & Connick, LLC

At Maples & Connick, we are compassionate trial lawyers dedicated to embracing clients as family. We provide unwavering support and experienced representation to those seeking justice. We understand that while we may have many cases, you only have one. Your voice matters and we are here to listen. Together, we pursue justice with empathy and care, restoring peace of mind and empowering your spirit. Welcome to our family, where compassion meets expertise, and justice is pursued with heart. For more information about Maples & Connick, please visit www.maplesconnick.com or call (504) 269-3870.