More than eight years after the Parkland school massacre, families of some victims are finally moving toward a civil trial against the Broward Sheriff's Office, putting a long-running fight over law-enforcement accountability back in the spotlight. The case alleges that BSO's conduct before and during the attack amounted to negligence, but the new court date is only a step toward a jury decision—not a finding that the agency is liable.
As CBS News Miami reported Friday, parents of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School victims have been given a trial date after a Florida appeals court cleared a major procedural hurdle. The litigation has moved through years of motions and appeals as the families have sought to bring their negligence claims before a jury.
The Appeals Court Kept The Case Alive
In a May 13 ruling, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed a lower-court order denying Sheriff Gregory Tony's request for partial summary judgment based on sovereign immunity. The appellate panel said the families are not suing over policy-level decisions such as whether the shooter should have been arrested or committed before the attack. It also said pre-shooting contacts could still be relevant to operational-negligence claims, while stressing that the trial court had not yet decided what evidence could be admitted. The ruling keeps the case moving but does not decide whether BSO was negligent or whether damages should be awarded.
Families Say The Delay Has Become Part Of The Pain
In February, Local 10 reported that the families' lawyers described BSO as the last major agency they considered responsible that had not resolved the consolidated civil case. Settlements have been reached involving Broward County Public Schools, the FBI and the federal government, while BSO said its motions and appeals were grounded in Florida law and were not intended to delay the litigation. The 2018 shooting killed 17 students and staff members and wounded 17 others.
The development follows earlier coverage of the families' frustration with the delays surrounding the case. Their lawsuit against BSO is separate from the criminal proceedings involving the gunman and focuses instead on whether the sheriff's office breached a legal duty through its preparation, response or other operational conduct.
What The Civil Trial Will Decide
At trial, the families will have to prove their negligence claims under Florida law, while BSO can continue to contest liability and available defenses. The appeals decision means those arguments will be tested in the trial court rather than ending the case before a jury hears it. For the families, the significance is finally getting the accountability question in front of jurors after years of legal limbo.
