A hero teenager who was shot five times while blocking a doorway to protect his Parkland classmates is the first to sue the alleged shooter.
Anthony Borges filed an assault and battery lawsuit against Nikolas Cruz, 19, who is charged with shooting dead 17 students on Valentine’s Day.
The 15-year-old will likely be followed by several of the other 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivors and families of those murdered.
Hero teenager Anthony Borges, 15, who was shot five times while blocking a doorway to protect his Parkland classmates, is the first to sue the alleged shooter
He filed an assault and battery lawsuit against Nikolas Cruz, 19, (pictured) who is charged with shooting dead 17 students on Valentine’s Day
Named in the lawsuit filed on Tuesday were Cruz, the estate of his late mother Lynda, and James and Kimberly Snead, who allowed Cruz to live with them.
Three mental institutions Cruz was treated by – Henderson Behavioral Health, the Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health, and South County Mental Health Center – were also listed as defendants.
Cruz was sued for assault and battery and the others for negligence Anthony’s lawyers claimed contributed to the school shooting.
Anthony was in hospital for more than a month after he was shot three times in his legs and twice in his torso as he shielded classmates during the rampage.
He was confined to a wheelchair for the foreseeable future and required constant care, the lawsuit said.
Anthony was in hospital for more than a month after he was shot three times in his legs and twice in his torso as he shielded classmates during the rampage
The 15-year-old will likely be followed by several of the other 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivors and families of those murdered
Anthony, along with other survivors, also planned to sue the Broward School Board and the Broward Sheriff’s Office for failing to protect him
Mr Snead said after the shooting he made Cruz buy a gun safe to which he thought he had the only key, but admitted the teen must have made a copy.
‘It’s unfortunate that the Sneads are being dragged into this,’ their lawyer Jim Lewis told the Orlando Sentinel.
‘The next time somebody in our community thinks about taking in a troubled kid, they’re going to look at a lawsuit like this and think again.
‘This will have a chilling effect on people who out of the goodness of their heart would try to take in someone in need to help them.’
Mr Snead and his wife took Cruz in after his mother died of pneumonia on November 1, his father already having died in 2004.
Three mental institutions Cruz was treated by were also listed as defendants
Anthony last month filed a notice of intent to sue the school board and sheriff’s office, starting the six-month clock, as did fellow survivor Kyle Laman, 15
Fellow survivor Elizabeth Stout, 17, (left) and the family of murdered student Helena Ramsay, 17, (right) also signaled their intention to sue
The Jerome Golden Center also objected to being name din the lawsuit, claiming her was not a client and it never had any contact with him.
Borges family lawyer Alex Arreaza, who filed the suit at the Broward County Circuit Court, said he would drop the center as a defendant if it showed proof.
Anthony, along with other survivors, also planned to sue the Broward School Board and the Broward Sheriff’s Office for failing to protect him.
However, law dictates they must be given six months warning before a lawsuit can be filed, meaning proceedings would be months away.
Mr Arreaza said the focus would be on a school discipline agreement he claimed steered problems students into in-school programs rather than the justice system.
Anthony was confined to a wheelchair for the foreseeable future and required constant care, the lawsuit said
Anthony breaks down as he listens to a press conference on April 6
Sheriff Scott Israel holding Anthony’s hand, weeks before his family declared they would sue his office for not protecting students
Anthony last month filed a notice of intent to sue, starting the six-month clock, as did fellow survivors Kyle Laman, 15, Elizabeth Stout, 17, and Fernanda Gadea.
The family of murdered student Helena Ramsay, 17, also signaled their intention to sue both agencies, along with Cruz and others, all at once in six months’ time.
Cruz’s assets were listed at less than $26,000 at a recent court hearing and it was not clear how much was in his mother’s estate that could be paid to victims.
A judge was still deciding if he had enough money to be required to find a private lawyer, after he pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Cruz’s assets were listed at less than $26,000 at a recent court hearing and it was not clear how much was in his mother’s estate that could be paid to victims