A cohort of 21 survivors and relatives of victims killed in the New Year’s Day truck attack is suing city officials, accusing them of failing to take the appropriate safety precautions before the incident, despite knowing the French Quarter was vulnerable to an attack for nearly a decade.
It’s the second legal case filed since the attack on Jan. 1, when an army veteran drove a Ford F-150 pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more. Earlier this month, Morris Bart, LLC filed a suit on behalf of six survivors and the family of Brandon Taylor, one of the 14 killed in the attack.
Law firms Romanucci & Blandin and Maples & Connick filed the new lawsuit in Orleans Parish Civil Court Wednesday. The suit names the City of New Orleans, New Orleans Police Department, French Quarter Management District and contractors as defendants.
One of the attorneys, Antonio Romanucci, recently won a historic settlement against the City of Minneapolis over the murder of George Floyd. He called the attack on Bourbon Street “foreseeable, predictable, and absolutely entirely preventable.”
“ They created Bourbon Street for the purpose of partying,” he said. “New Orleans undertook the duty to try to protect the people on the street, but failed miserably and in an outrageous way in doing so.”
The suit points to the city’s failure to install new bollards around Bourbon Street before two high-risk events, New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl, leaving the area exposed, while the city focused on security for the upcoming Super Bowl.
It also claims police either failed to follow security protocols or to implement adequate safety measures, leaving pedestrians vulnerable to an attack.
Romanucci said their goal is to “seek justice for the victims and their families, holding those acceptable and responsible for their failure to protect the community despite clear warning signs and foreseeable risks.”
Plaintiffs shared stories about their lost loved ones at a press conference announcing the litigation on Thursday.
“What I do know is that we have to find a way to move forward,” said Antoniette Klima, whose son’s father, Reggie Hunter, was killed. “We must find accountability, seek justice, and work to ensure that no child ever has to suffer like this again due to senseless violence.”
The city has not responded to WWNO’s request for comment, and NOPD said it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
In the weeks since the attack, city officials have pushed back on the idea it was preventable.
“There are intersections that cross Bourbon Street that are not blocked by bollards so that traffic can flow,” Councilwoman Lesli Harris told WWNO. “So, to say that this happened just because there weren't bollards in place, I think, is a misinterpretation of what happened. I think this attack was going to happen no matter what.”
