After several postponements, a Texas judge has set a new date for the civil lawsuit against the parents of the accused Santa Fe High School shooter, directing lawyers that this will be the final rescheduling. The parents, Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos, are being sued for negligence in connection with the 2018 massacre that claimed the lives of eight students and two teachers. The trial, originally scheduled to begin on May 28, is now slated to start on July 29, with a pretrial conference on July 19, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Galveston County Judge Jack Ewing warned attorneys there would be no further delays, threatening them with contempt of court charges if the case does not move forward as planned. The court's decision comes after several obstacles, including the pandemic and attorney changes, have caused delays in the past. In a related development, Judge Ewing has consented to let the plaintiffs’ attorneys depose Pagourtizis’ parents on June 20, according to information from the Galveston County Daily News.
The decision to move the trial was met with opposition from the defense but provided a sense of relief for the plaintiffs seeking justice and closure. “We’re looking forward to, finally, the parents and the victims getting their day in court,” plaintiff attorney Clint McGuire told the Houston Chronicle. Claiming negligence, the lawsuit filed by the victims' families alleges that the couple failed to properly secure their firearms, a .38-caliber handgun and a sawed-off shotgun, which their son allegedly used in the shooting.
Meanwhile, efforts continue to obtain more evidence. Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady stated that his office would release evidence from before and after the shooting as permissible by law, thus helping the case move toward resolution. Having sat heavily on the shoulders of a grieving community, the quest for accountability has been long and fraught, according to Galveston County Daily News interview.
The accused gunman himself, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, remains mentally unfit to stand trial and is currently committed to a mental health facility. The plaintiffs have called for an updated mental health evaluation ahead of the civil proceedings. This case, one of the first of its kind seeking to hold the parents of a mass shooter accountable, could potentially pave the way for how future negligence claims related to gun violence are addressed.
