Walmart says the three employees who sued the company alleging it could have taken steps to prevent the mass shooting don’t have standing to bring those suits.
The retail giant is asking a judge to dismiss the trio of $50 million lawsuits in a series of requests filed this week.
The suits stem from the Nov. 22 shooting at a Walmart store in Chesapeake’s Greenbrier area. Six employees were killed and several more were injured when an overnight team leader opened fire in an employee break room.
Walmart argues because the shooting occurred between employees while they were at work, it falls under worker compensation.
The company says that means the employees have to go through that system for relief and state law says the employees can’t sue the company.
So far, three employees of the store - James Kelly, Donya Priolaeu and Briana Marie Taylor - have all sued Walmart alleging the same basic set of facts.
The lawsuits say the shooter exhibited bizarre and threatening behavior and that employees reported that to managers ahead of the shooting.
They contend the shooter was known as a cruel supervisor who would retaliate against others for perceived slights.
The suits argue Walmart was negligent in continuing to employ the shooter and the company bears some responsibility for the shooting.
All three are being represented by the same law firm, Washington, D.C.-based Morgan and Morgan.
