By Tom Hals

(Reuters) – The daddy of a 10-year-old woman slain within the Uvalde, Texas faculty taking pictures and a college worker have taken preliminary steps that might result in lawsuits in opposition to Daniel Protection, the maker of the semiautomatic rifle utilized in final week’s bloodbath that killed 21 individuals.

Legal professionals for Alfred Garza, father of Robb Elementary College pupil Amerie Jo Garza, requested in a letter on Friday to Daniel Protection that the Black Creek, Georgia-based gun producer present details about its advertising to teenagers and kids.

“We ask you to start offering data to us now, reasonably than drive Mr. Garza to file a lawsuit to acquire it,” his attorneys wrote within the letter.

Individually, faculty worker Emilia Marin filed papers in Texas state courtroom looking for an order to depose Daniel Protection and drive the corporate to show over paperwork, additionally associated to its advertising. Marin is listed as a speech pathologist clerk on the college’s web site.

Marin’s submitting late on Thursday is a petition that permits a celebration to start investigating potential claims.

No lawsuits have but been introduced in opposition to Daniel Protection stemming from the taking pictures.

Daniel Protection didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, stormed the college on Could 24 and killed 19 college students and two lecturers earlier than he was killed by legislation enforcement, in accordance with authorities.

The letter from Garza’s attorneys requested Daniel Protection to supply a variety of data, together with communications with Ramos, paperwork associated to the taking pictures, use of video video games to market its weapons and social media accounts.

Marin’s legal professional, Don Flanary of San Antonio, mentioned he needs to analyze the advertising of the weapons to Ramos when he was a minor. Ramos purchased a semiautomatic rifle legally on his 18th birthday on Could 17.

Gun producers are usually shielded from lawsuits over legal use of their firearms by a federal legislation known as the Safety of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA.

Nevertheless, the Connecticut Supreme Court docket in 2019 dominated that gun firm Remington Arms might be sued by households of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary College taking pictures beneath a PLCAA exception as a result of Remington allegedly violated state advertising legal guidelines. The households mentioned in February that Remington paid $73 million to settle the case.

Garza’s attorneys embrace Josh Koskoff, who led the Sandy Hook case in opposition to Remington, and well-known private harm legal professional Mikal Watts.