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Lawsuit over Christina Grimmie murder allowed to proceed
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 10 April 2018
A judge has declined to dismiss a lawsuit being pursued against the venue and promoter that staged the concert where artist Christina Grimmie was murdered in 2016.
Grimme rose to fame on YouTube before appearing on the US version of ‘The Voice’. She had been performing with the band Before You Exit at a venue in Orlando when, while signing autographs after the show, she was shot dead by a man later described as a “deranged fan”.
Promoter AEG Live and venue owner the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Plaza Foundation have been sued by Grimmie’s family who claim that the two companies should be held liable for failing to protect the singer from the attacker.
The family wrote in their lawsuit: “By only doing superficial bag checks with no body pat downs or the use of metal defectors to safeguard against concertgoers bringing weapons into the theatre, Christina’s assailant was permitted to enter the Plaza Live Theater facility with two 9mm Glock handguns, two full magazines and a large hunting knife”.
The lawsuit added that, given about 40% of Florida households contain a firearm, the venue “could have reasonably anticipated that attendees at events held at the Plaza Live Theater might bring weapons with them”.
Both companies hoped to have the case dismissed, but – according to Law 360 – judge Kevin B Weiss has ruled that the Grimmie family have alleged enough facts for their case to proceed.
The judge added that the family had also presented sufficient evidence to show a special relationship existed between Grimmie and AEG, even though they haven’t got a copy of an alleged written agreement between the singer and the live music firm.
The judge said that “this court will not dismiss any of the aforesaid claims for failure to attach the alleged agreement. Plaintiffs will have the opportunity to establish the existence of any such agreements during discovery proceedings”.
A legal rep for the family welcomed the news that the case can now proceed. According to Law360 he added: “We are also hopeful that the precedent set by the decision will send a message to all concert promoters that adequate and more vigilant security measures must be employed at concert venues on a going forward basis”.
