An Illinois court ruled Tuesday that a wrongful death lawsuit against Smith & Wesson, the manufacturer of the firearm used in the 2022 Highland Park mass shooting, can proceed to trial. The lawsuit, brought by victims’ families, alleges that the gunmaker improperly marketed the M&P 15, an AR-15-style rifle, to young buyers, contributing to the tragedy.
The case was filed by the family of Eduardo Uvaldo—one of the seven people killed—along with a group of survivors and families of children who attended the parade that day. The wrongful death lawsuit also names two gun dealers involved in the sale of the weapon to Robert Crimo III, who pleaded guilty to the shooting earlier this year.
Attorney Josh Koskoff, representing the Uvaldo family, criticized Smith & Wesson for allegedly targeting younger audiences with marketing tactics that glamorized violence. “When the bottom line is the only thing a company is looking for, bad things happen,” Koskoff said.
“Patriotic to his core, Eduardo Uvaldo exemplified American values, working his entire adult life to support his family. He lost his life in a mass shooting that resulted from one of the most extraordinary abuses in American corporate history—Smith & Wesson’s choice to leverage the M&P 15’s branding as a weapon of war to feed its bottom line no matter the consequences. Today’s decision brings Mr. Uvaldo’s family one step closer to holding Smith & Wesson and these gun dealers accountable and fulfilling their ultimate goal: keeping other families from knowing their indescribable pain.”
The legal team representing the plaintiffs, including Romanucci & Blandin LLC, Everytown Law, and Wallace Miller, praised the court’s decision. “This historic ruling sends a clear message that the gun industry does not have carte blanche to market assault rifles irresponsibly,” they said in a joint statement.
The court also ruled that claims against the firearm retailers for selling an assault rifle to a buyer in a jurisdiction where he was prohibited from possessing one will move forward. As the case advances to the discovery phase, plaintiffs hope to hold Smith & Wesson and the gun dealers accountable and prevent future tragedies.
