Florida appeals court rules lawsuits against Parkland resource officer can go to trial

A Florida appeals court on Thursday ruled that a series of lawsuits against the man who worked as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School resource officer during the 2018 Parkland shooting can proceed to trial.

The ruling comes after former Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, who was the school's resource officer, was acquitted in 2023 of criminal child neglect, culpable negligence, and perjury for his response to the shooting.

The Fourth District Court of Appeals did not give any reasoning in its ruling, but the decision was made by Judges Dorian Damoorgian, Spencer Levine and Alan Forst, according to The Hill.

The lawsuits, which do not seek a specified amount from Peterson and the police department, were filed on behalf of the families of the victims. The families argue that Peterson failed to confront and stop shooter Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people and injured dozens of others. 

Peterson's attorneys argued that their client had no legal obligation to try and stop Cruz.

“Florida law is unequivocal that whether it is by reason of a lack of legal duty, by application of statutory immunity, or both, as a governmental employee, Peterson cannot be held liable for an alleged failure to stop Cruz from committing mass murder,” Peterson’s attorneys wrote in a brief.

Cruz is currently serving 34 consecutive life sentences. He pleaded guilty in 2021 to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.