Parents of Oxford High School Student File Lawsuit Against Gun Dealer Responsible for the Sale of the Gun Used in Oxford High School Shooting

Washington, D.C., June 29, 2022 - Today, represented by Brady and co-counsel Sommers Schwartz, P.C, Matthew and Mary Mueller filed suit against Oxford Community School District and Acme Shooting Goods, LLC (“Acme”), on behalf of their son, a 14-year-old who was shot in the face and injured by a classmate in the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School. They bring this suit to stop similar tragedies from happening to other families and communities ever again. This is the first suit in relation to the shooting at Oxford High School that brings claims against Acme, the dealer that sold the gun used in this shooting.

Matthew and Mary Mueller shared:

“Following the egregiously wrong and dangerous Supreme Court decision in the Bruen case, New Jersey’s leaders have responded by clearly showing the nation that they will not rest or relent in passing constitutional and common-sense laws that protect residents. These laws will save lives and build upon New Jersey’s already strong gun violence prevention regimen. Laws including investment in microstamping technology and the creation of pathways to hold the firearm industry accountable through civil litigation are landmark achievements and cutting-edge developments that will save lives. Today’s action is historic; Brady applauds the New Jersey legislature for their swift action and Gov. Phil Murphy for his continued leadership on this issue.”

Brady Senior Counsel Erin Davis shared:

“The Mueller family has been irreparably harmed by multiple points of failure that foreseeably led to the tragic mass shooting at Oxford High School. This suit seeks injunctive relief for both the business practices at Acme Shooting Goods, which the complaint alleges, negligently and likely illegally sold the firearm used in this shooting, and the protocols at Oxford Community School District for their failure to appropriately take action to address safety concerns in the school. While this and other school shootings are preventable, there have been 27 school shootings in 2022 already. The change and accountability that the Muellers are seeking in this case will help prevent future such tragedies and spare families and communities the pain and trauma they have experienced. Particularly following the Bruen decision from the Supreme Court last week, such litigation to hold the gun industry accountable and to create change that leads to safer communities is more important than ever.”

Attorneys Matthew Turner and Lisa Esser from Sommers Schwartz, P.C. shared:

“We bring this lawsuit on behalf of the Mueller family not only to hold the Defendants accountable for their actions in November 2021, but to effectuate change in the Oxford Community School District so that no family has to ever suffer such a tragedy again. The lawsuit seeks a transparent, independent investigation into the events of November 30, 2021. It also seeks to encourage policy reform within the Oxford School District so that when faced with a student demonstrating suicidal and/or homicidal ideations in the future, counselors and other staff are trained to recognized such a mental health crisis, have protocols in place to immediately remove that student from the general school population, and have the means to take action to ensure that that student does not have immediate access to a dangerous weapon.

The number of catastrophic mistakes that led to this tragedy is staggering. The Oxford High School community was placed in life threatening danger by an obviously troubled student. The students and the Oxford community were failed by the professionals who should have recognized the serious danger posed by the student to himself and the other students in that building. The administrators should have protected Matt and Mary’s son, along with the other students in that building who were killed, physically injured and emotionally scarred by this tragedy. The school district itself was complicit by having policies and procedures that allowed this to occur instead of policies that would have prevented this tragedy. Acme Shooting Goods started the sequence of events that led to the tragedy by providing a gun to a minor that never should have had access through, in all likelihood, a straw sale against both state and federal law.”

About the Suit:

Representing their son, a minor, and represented by Brady and Sommers Schwartz, P.C., Matthew and Mary Mueller filed a lawsuit seeking damages and injunctive relief from the Oxford Community School District, employees of the school district, and Acme Shooting Goods, LLC. The complaint alleges negligence on the part of the school district and district employees, in not acting to address serious concerns about the wellbeing of the shooter that led to the shooting on November 30, 2021 and the Muellers’ son’s injury. The complaint alleges negligence on the part of Acme, which sold the firearm despite, upon information and belief, actual or constructive knowledge that the shooter’s father was unlawfully purchasing the firearm for his minor son. Specifically, upon information and belief, Acme ignored one or more “red flags” that the sale was unlawful and could foreseeably result in a juvenile using the firearm to cause injury and damage.

The suit seeks damages to account for his care and injury as well as injunctive relief to reform the reckless practices that contributed to the mass shooting.