Jacksonville shooting victim suing EA for negligence
Also seeking damages from seven other defendants, including tournament venue Chicago Pizza and Jacksonville Landing mall
A survivor of the recent shooting at a Madden gaming tournament has filed a lawsuit against Electronic Arts and is seeking damages.
Jacob Mitich was shot twice during the incident, and is now taking legal action against the Madden publisher, the Chicago Pizza venue where the tournament was held, the Jackonsville Landing mall that contained the venue, and five other defendants, Kotaku reports.
The lawsuit does not specify the amount Mitich is claiming, but the claimed centre around negligence, stipulating that the venue was unsafe and that EA "failed to provide a safe and secure environment" for those taking part in the tournament.
A statement was released alongside the lawsuit from James Young, an attorney with personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan. In it, Young claims Mitich "trusted the event host and organisers, and believed that he was walking into a safe space."
"That trust was shattered when shots rang out in an over-crowded, since-shut-down, non-permitted space," Young continued. "Combined with an alleged abject failure to provide adequate security, the result was tragic."
The lawsuit goes on to describe Jacksonville Landing as "a hub of dangerous, violent and too often, deadly activity", citing further incidents of shooting and stabbing that have happened there in recent years.
In a statement, Electronic Arts said: "At this time, we are fully focused on supporting the victims and all those affected by this tragic event."
Last week, it emerged the publisher is donating $1 million to victims of the shooting.