Shooting survivor’s Glock suit to wait for appeal of NY gun law

Glock semi-automatic pistols are displayed for sale at Firearms Unknown, a gun store in Oceanside, California, U.S., April 12, 2021. REUTERS/Bing Guan

(Reuters) – A lawsuit against Glock Inc filed by a victim of April’s New York subway shooting is likely to be put on hold until an appeals court weighs in on a novel state law allowing the state and people affected by gun violence to sue weapons manufacturers.

Brooklyn resident Ilene Steur is seeking to have Glock compensate her after she was shot on the northbound N train while on her way to work. New York police said the accused shooter, Frank James, fired a Glock pistol he bought in Ohio during the rush hour attack, injuring two dozen people. read more

But during a telephone conference on Tuesday morning, lawyers for Steur and Glock said the case should be put on hold until the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs in on the 2021 New York law, which lets people affected by gun violence sue gunmakers for endangering public safety and health.

A firearms industry trade group and several gun manufacturers are asking the appeals court to reinstate their suit challenging the law, which was dismissed by a federal judge in Albany in May. The 2nd Circuit has not said when it will rule. read more

The legal battles over the New York law come after the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down the state’s limits on carrying concealed handguns in public. The 6-3 ruling handed a landmark victory to gun rights advocates in a nation deeply divided over how to address firearms violence. read more

On Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo said she would recommend to the judge ultimately responsible for the Glock lawsuit that the case, filed in Brooklyn federal court, be put on hold.

James has pleaded not guilty to terrorism and weapons charges in a separate criminal case. read more

The case is Steur v. Glock, Inc et al, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, No. 22-cv-3192

For Ilene Steur: Mark Shirian

For Glock, Inc: Christopher Renzulli, Scott Charles Allan

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