A federal judge has dismissed three lawsuits filed against township officials in connection with a 2013 shooting at a municipal building in Pennsylvania that left three people dead and several others injured.
The Times-Tribune in Scranton reports U.S. District Judge Malachy Mannion said Monday that Ross Township had no constitutional duty to protect residents from the actions of the gunman, Rockne Newell.
The lawsuits alleged the township was liable for failing to protect residents despite knowing that Newell threatened violence. But Mannion says Newell's actions weren't foreseeable.
Newell opened fire at a meeting in August 2013, killing three people. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors say he was angry over the loss of his junk-filled property after a lengthy court battle with the township.
