A civil trial in Galveston, Texas, is set to hold the parents of a former Santa Fe High School student financially liable for a 2018 shooting that left 10 people dead and 13 wounded. The lawsuit accuses the parents of negligence for not securing the weapons used in the shooting and failing to get their son, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, help despite signs of emotional distress and violent fantasies. Pagourtzis, now 23, has been declared incompetent to stand trial for the criminal charges he faces and remains at a mental health facility.
The families of the victims are seeking at least $1 million in damages from the parents, Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos. The trial could last up to three weeks, and the families hope to obtain justice for the tragedy that has left them frustrated with the delays in the criminal trial against Pagourtzis. The shooter’s attorney denies the allegations, citing mental impairment as a factor in his actions.
Similar lawsuits have been filed in the past, such as a case against an online retailer accused of selling ammunition to Pagourtzis illegally. In 2023, the families settled their case against the retailer. Other cases involving parents held financially responsible for mass shootings include a jury awarding over $200 million to the mother of a victim in a Nashville shooting, and the recent sentencing of Jennifer and James Crumbley, the first parents convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting.
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