April 16th lawsuits transferred to Montgomery County court

6:11 p.m.

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - Lawsuits filed by the families of two students slain in the mass killings as Virginia Tech two years ago were transferred Thursday to the jurisdiction where the school is located.
    After a two-hour hearing, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Charles Maxfield granted defense motions to transfer the case to Montgomery County.
    The parents of Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson filed lawsuits April 16 against the state, Virginia Tech, and several university and mental health officials. Also named as a defendant is the estate of Seung-Hui Cho, the student gunman who killed 32 people before taking his own life.
    Defendants contended in their motion that Montgomery County has the greatest connection to the case and would be more convenient for most parties.
    A spokeswoman for the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert T. Hall, says he argued that the families would be more likely to get a fair trial in Fairfax County on their claim of gross negligence by numerous officials.
    Hall contends that in Montgomery there will be bias toward Virginia Tech, the county’s largest employer with about 7,000 on the faculty and staff.
    Maxfield did not rule on defense motions to dismiss the lawsuits, leaving rulings on defendants’ claims of sovereign immunity to the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

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3:34 p.m.

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - Lawsuits filed by the families of two students slain in the mass killings as Virginia Tech two years ago have been transferred to the jurisdiction where the school is located.
    Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Charles Maxfield on Thursday granted defense motions to transfer the case to Montgomery County.
    The parents of Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson filed the lawsuits April 16.
    Student gunman Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people before taking his own life.
    Defendants contended that Montgomery County would be more convenient for most parties to the case.
    A spokeswoman for the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert T. Hall, says he argued that the families would be more likely to get a fair trial in Fairfax County on their claim of gross negligence by numerous officials.