Lawsuit Filed Against Manufacturers Of Firearm Parts Kits Used In The Accidental Shooting Of A Minor
Plaintiff alleges three manufacturers are at fault for the shooting due to unmonitored online sales of “ghost gun” kits
Valdosta, GA – April 11, 2023 – Isenberg & Hewitt, alongside co-counsel Boone & Davis and Gerson & Schwartz, filed a lawsuit against three manufacturers selling firearm parts kits used to assemble an untraceable firearm used in the shooting of a minor in Valdosta, Georgia. These firearm kits are used to assemble “homemade” firearms, also known as “ghost guns” due to their lack of identifying serial numbers.
Defendants, Polymer 80 Inc, Polymer80 Enterprise Properties, LLC, and Deltateamtactical.com, doing business as, Delta Team Tactical, sold the firearm frame blanks and assembly kit needed to assemble the ghost gun in this case, which permanently maimed a minor, Z.T.
A minor, J.C., in Valdosta, Georgia, used the Defendants’ websites to purchase, ship the purchased components to their residential address, and successfully assemble a firearm using instructions provided in the Defendants’ kits. Sales from the defendants’ companies are made online allowing any person in any location within the United States, including J.C. in Georgia, to purchase firearm kits without being subjected to a background check, which would have verified the purchaser’s age, and without requiring the inscription of a serial number on the unfinished frames sold, which makes the gun almost impossible for law enforcement to trace.
On May 1, 2021, Z.T., also a minor, was visiting J.C. at their residence in Valdosta, Georgia with other minors. J.C. was playing with the Glock-style firearm they assembled from the kits and components purchased through the defendants’ websites, when the firearm discharged, causing a bullet to strike and enter Z.T.’s head.
Z.T. has suffered severe injuries including neurological injuries, considerable mental anguish, disfigurement, and the inability to lead a normal life. Additionally, the Plaintiff, Z.T.’s mother, has incurred and will continue to accrue medical, hospital, rehabilitative and other health care expenses directly related to the injuries Z.T. suffered due to the defendants’ allowing the unmonitored online purchase of kits and components used to assemble the firearm.
The defendants’ online sales and neglect to require a background check, which would have verified J.C.’s age, violated Georgia law not to sell, deliver, or otherwise entrust firearms or firearm components to a person defendants’ knew or should have known to be a minor.
The Plaintiff has requested a trial by jury and seeks damages and judgment against the named defendants. The lawsuit was filed on March 20, 2023, in the U.S.D.C. for Middle District of Georgia, Valdosta Division.
About Isenberg & Hewitt, P.C.
Isenberg & Hewitt, P.C., was established in 1985 by attorneys, Harriet C. Isenberg and Melvin L. Hewitt Jr. The firm focuses its practice on legal matters ranging from commercial collections and business litigation to significant personal injury, wrongful death and crime victims’ compensation. Since its founding, the firm has helped hundreds of victims and their families recover financial compensation and gain closure through personal injury and premises liability litigation. Hewitt and his team have served clients throughout Georgia and other states including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Mr. Hewitt is co-chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center For Victims of Crime (NCVC), Washington D.C., and serves on the Advisory Board of the National Crime Victims Bar Association (NCVBA), Washington D.C., is the immediate past president of the Georgia Crime Victim Advocacy Counsel (CVAC) and remains on its board. Hewitt is also on the board of directors of Atlanta Victim Assistance (AVA) and Marsy’s Law of Georgia. To learn more, visit isenberg-hewitt.com.
Media Contact:
Jamie Donaldson, on behalf of Isenberg & Hewitt, P.C.
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