The civil trial probing the tragic mass shooting at Santa Fe High School, originally on the docket for late May, has been forcibly delayed to July 29. The delay was granted to accommodate plaintiffs' lawyers, requiring additional time to pore over documents from the shooter's criminal proceedings. As reported by Click2Houston, families of the May 2018 shooting victims are taking Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos, parents of the accused shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis, to court on claims they failed to prevent their son's access to firearms and didn't sufficiently pursue mental health treatments.
Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady stated he's willing to share evidence—excluding that of the shooting day or subsequent inquiries—with the plaintiffs' attorneys. "Roady said he could have documents to the plaintiffs’ attorneys by the end of next week, but it would take longer to review hundreds of witness statements to determine relevancy." indicating a timeline for unveiling the information. Judge Jack Ewing, presiding over the case, plans to issue a protective order ensuring the confidentiality of the documents, as detailed by Click2Houston.
While the civil case inches forward, the criminal proceedings against Dimitrios Pagourtzis are in limbo as he remains in a North Texas mental hospital, found incompetent for trial back in 2019. The plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit also hope to depose Pagourtzis and engage an independent expert to review his mental competency. This motion will be under Judge Ewing's scrutiny after reviewing five years of medical records and evaluations, as he decides on granting the deposition request.
Earlier, Judge Ewing had directed both parties to seek mediation in the civil trial set for the end of May, but Pagourtzis' parents have yet to be deposed, according to attorney Clint McGuire's statement to FOX26Houston. The defense counsel for the parents, Don Rodgers, is also reportedly stepping down from his role, as confirmed in a court appearance that occurred after the pre-trial hearing and trial date were established.
The parents are now expected to give their depositions on June 20. The lawsuit accuses them of negligence for leaving firearms accessible to their then-17-year-old son, which were allegedly used in the attack. For the families of the injured and deceased, the delayed civil trial can only be hoped to bring accountability and maybe a measure of solace for their loss.
