Lawsuit by April 16th families reveals new accusations

Click to read statement by Pryde and Peterson families

 

A lawsuit filed on behalf of Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson claim some new accusations against Tech administrators in the aftermath of the 4/16 tragedy.

Pryde died in her Norris Hall hydrology class.

Peterson in her french class.

The families intend to ask a judge to award them at least $10,000,000.

A number of groups, university leaders, and local mental health workers are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

The Pryde and Peterson families were the only ones not to take a $100,000 settlement offer with Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth of Virginia last summer.

The terms of the settlement allowed for families to meet with the Governor, as well as several Tech senior administrators.  It required the university to release thousands of pages of internal emails regarding the shootings and it’s aftermath.

It also absolved Tech of any wrongdoing in the tragedy.

The lawsuits, filed by the same Northern Virginia attorney, make claims of internal strife inside the Tech Policy Group, which made all administrative decisions the day of the massacre.

It claims two sides formed in the meeting President Charles Steger opened about half an hour after the first two bodies were found in West Ambler Johnston Hall.

One side wanted the entire campus warned as soon as possible with the truth about what administrators knew about the West A.J. shootings, according to the filing.

The other side wanted to wait for more facts in order to protect the university’s image, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also points to an internal email from a top university fund-raising adviser to Steger just hours after the shootings.

The lawsuit claims it reads “I am also thinking of the ramifications to the [fund-raising] weekend. The tragedy… also represents and opportunity to communicate and to solicit support both financially and morally.“

The court filing gives no context as to what was offered in the email. It was also clear in the court document the email had been edited.

University administrators did not return a phone call seeking comment Friday.

University attorneys are required to file a response to the families legal complaint within the next 30 to 60 days.

The families filed the suit in Fairfax County Circuit Court.