Florida Deputy's Legal Team Says He Didn't Have An Obligation To Stop Parkland School Shooter

CBS Miami

December 20, 2023

A former Florida sheriff's deputy is claiming he had no legal duty to confront the gunman who murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly six years ago, his attorney argued Monday.

The legal team representing Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the victims' families and survivors, even though the decision would likely be derided by the public.

Attorney Michael Piper told Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips that under the law, his client cannot be sued for anything he did or didn't do during the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre. He cited appellate court cases that say police officers don't have a legal obligation to protect others from third-party harm and cannot be sued for decisions they make during a crisis.

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