Brandon Bell/Getty Images News
A law firm representing families of victims of the May 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting has filed wrongful death lawsuits against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: Meta), owned by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) video game publisher Activision, and Daniel Defense – video game maker The weapon used in the incident two years ago.
Both cases were brought on behalf of families and individuals represented by Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder PC and Guerra LLP. The cases allege the three parties worked together to market weapons to teens like the Uvalde shooter.
In one of the deadliest school shootings in history, exactly two years ago, an 18-year-old former student at Rupp Elementary School in Uvalde killed 19 students and two teachers with an AR-15 rifle made by Daniel Defense.
According to lawsuits filed on behalf of the victims' families and several survivors, Meta's (META) social media platform Instagram and Activision's military video game series Call of duty He helped market weapons such as assault rifles made by Daniel Defense to teenage boys.
“There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” Josh Koskoff, a partner at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder and an attorney for the families, said in a statement Friday.
The case was filed against Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) Activision in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to the lawsuit, the companies “through products that count millions of teenagers and pre-teens among their users… aided and abetted firearms manufacturers’ efforts to expand the market for their guns by granting unprecedented, direct, 24/7 access to children.”
The lawsuit accuses Meta's (META) Instagram of giving gun makers “an uncensored channel to speak directly to minors, in their homes, at school, even in the middle of the night.” Meta (META) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
Meanwhile, the lawsuit claims that first-person gameplay exists at Activision Call of duty The games “create a realistic and addictive theater of violence as teenage boys learn to kill with frightening skill and ease.”
“The Uvalde shooting was horrific and heartbreaking in every way, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the families and communities who continue to be affected by this senseless act of violence. Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without resorting to horrific acts.” An Activision spokesperson told Seeking Alpha in an email statement.
The case was filed against Daniel Defense in Uvalde County District Court. The lawsuit accuses the gun maker of using social media and first-person shooter simulations to lure teens to its website. Daniel Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
The lawsuits filed Friday come two days after Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder and Guerra reached a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde on behalf of 19 families of school shooting victims. The families also announced a separate lawsuit against 92 Texas Department of Public Safety officers for alleged inaction on the day of the massacre.