“Because of the negligence of the [New Orleans Police Department] and the City of New Orleans, 14 innocent lives were lost,” a New Orleans-based law firm said in a press release. “Dozens more were injured, and the courses of their lives changed forever.”
0304A Louisiana law firm has announced plans to file a lawsuit alleging that the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department should be found liable for the Bourbon Street terrorist attack.
According to FOX54, attorneys from New Orleans-based Maples & Connick, LLC, said in a news release that it plans to formally file the lawsuit on the morning of January 8.
The firm says that the attack, orchestrated by U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was “both foreseeable and preventable.” Jabbar, who used a pick-up truck to mow down pedestrians on a walking street, appears to have exploited obvious deficiencies in Bourbon Street’s safety features.
Bourbon Street has, for instance, a series of bollards at its entrances—short, heavy posts designed to deter vehicles from entering certain areas. However, Bourbon Street’s bollards were not raised on January 1. Some officials have indicated that the bollards could not be raised due to accumulations of Mardi Gras beads and other debris.
“Because of the negligence of the [New Orleans Police Department] and the City of New Orleans, 14 innocent lives were lost,” Maples & Connick said in its release. “Dozens more were injured, and the courses of their lives changed forever.”
“The survivors of this tragic event will bear the emotional and physical scars for the rest of their lives. We are honored to represent one of these individuals and are committed to utilizing every legal avenue available to uncover the truth and secure full compensation for our client,” the firm said.
The lawsuit will seek compensation, as well as accountability.
“The citizens of New Orleans deserve answers,” the release says.
FOX54 reports that an attorney for the Police Association of New Orleans sent a statement cautioning against “knee-jerk reactions.”
“While many questions have been raised regarding various aspects of this incident, PANO must caution against the knee-jerk reactions of some who are immediately calling for the resignation of Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick,” the Association said in its statement. “The tragic events of New Year’s Day rightly stirs tremendous passion and exacerbates the need for explanation in us all.”
“But fairness dictates that all the details and information be processed and confirmed before conclusions are drawn and responsibilities are assigned,” it said. “Due diligence will deliver all the facts and information needed to determine our best path forward.”
Sources
First lawsuit to be filed against New Orleans, NOPD over Bourbon Street terror attack
New Orleans firm to file lawsuit against city, police in connection with New Year’s attack
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