RICHMOND, Va. — The lawsuit filed by the mother and widow of the teenager and man killed outside a high school graduation ceremony at the Altria Theatre in Richmond in 2023 has been dismissed.
"The Richmond City School Board would like to announce that Civil Action No. 3:24CV28 (RCY), a lawsuit filed against the School Board in relation to the 2023 Monroe Park shooting, has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be re-filed against the School Board. In addition, the Court dismissed all claims against Superintendent Kamras and several Huguenot High School staff members," a Richmond Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement about the legal decision. "We want to again express our profound sympathy to the family members who experienced the loss of two loved ones that day. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with them and all who were impacted by this terrible tragedy. We sincerely hope they find comfort and peace in the days to come."
Tameeka Jackson sought $11 million and $15 million in damages as a representative of the estates of her husband, Renzo Smith, and son, Shawn Jackson, respectively.
Both were killed in the June 6, 2023, shooting that occurred after a Huguenot High School graduation at Richmond's Altria Theater.
Jackson's lawyers made a wrongful death claim and attempted to hold the district accountable for alleged safety failures at the graduation ceremony.
In court documents, Jackson alleged that the school district was aware of "safety issues" involving her son but "did nothing to protect him."
In February 2024, Amari Pollard pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony related to the shootings.
The judge cited cases in his decision that state that under current U.S. law, schools usually aren’t legally responsible for protecting students from harm by others, unless they take someone into custody or do something that directly puts the person in more danger.
In this case, the judge wrote that neither of those exceptions applied. He wrote that the school didn’t have legal custody of the student, and while the staff may have known about threats, they didn’t take any direct action that made things worse.
In this case, the judge ruled that Harris didn’t take any active steps that increased the risk to the student. He wrote that at most, it “may have been irresponsible and infective in not heeding warnings that the victim was helpless at the hands of bullies”. But that that is not enough under the law to hold someone constitutionally liable.
CBS 6 has reached out to Jackson's lawyers for comment.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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