Victims of Bourbon Street Terror Attack File Lawsuits Against New Orleans Amid Security Failures Investigation
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Nathan Williams, a University of New Orleans student, lights a candle Jan. 3, 2025, at a memorial on Bourbon Street for the victims of a deadly truck attack on New Year's Day in New Orleans. (AP)
Dozens of victims of the New Year’s Eve terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans have filed lawsuits against the city and its police department, citing negligence and failure to prevent the tragedy.
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Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work on Bourbon Street after 14 people were killed when a terrorist drove into the crowd in the early morning hours of New Year's Day in New Orleans. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images) |
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas resident, drove a Ford F-150 truck into crowds celebrating the New Year at approximately 3 a.m. on January 1, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more. Jabbar, motivated by ISIS extremism, was killed in a subsequent shootout with police.
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Investigators work after a terrorist drove a vehicle into a crowd at Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) |
A lawsuit filed on Thursday by Morris Bart, LLC, on behalf of seven victims, names the City of New Orleans, Hard Rock Construction, and engineering firm Mott MacDonald, LLC, as defendants. The suit alleges these entities failed to implement adequate security measures, despite prior warnings and recommendations about the vulnerability of Bourbon Street.
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Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill speaks to the media Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. (Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill ) |
The complaint highlights that Mott MacDonald’s engineering reports, prepared months before the attack, specifically identified scenarios involving vehicles, including a Ford F-150, turning onto Bourbon Street from Canal Street. It asserts the tragedy was preventable had proper safeguards been implemented.
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A New Orleans police vehicle blocks the entrance to Bourbon Street Jan. 2, 2025, near the site where people were killed by a man driving a truck in an attack during New Year's celebrations in New Orleans. (Reuters/Octavio Jones) |
Additional lawsuits, including one representing over two dozen victims, are expected to follow. The plaintiffs argue the city and its police department failed in their duty to protect residents and visitors during a high-profile celebration.
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Matthias Hauswirth of New Orleans prays on the street near the location where a terrorist drove into a crowd at New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) |
The Louisiana Attorney General’s office has also launched an independent investigation into potential security lapses. AG Liz Murrill emphasized the need for functional infrastructure and robust security measures, stating, "New Orleans must evolve to meet the growing threats it faces."
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Tourists walk past temporary barriers on Orleans and Bourbon Street, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) |
The incident has drawn scrutiny over the city’s infrastructure project, including its use of temporary barriers while permanent bollards were under replacement. Reports dating back to 2017 and 2019 warned of the risk of mass casualty events in the French Quarter and criticized the inadequacy of existing bollard systems.\
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Samantha Petry places flowers at a memorial at Canal and Bourbon streets Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) |
The FBI continues to investigate Jabbar’s connections, noting his travels to New Orleans, Cairo, and Toronto before the attack. While authorities believe he acted alone, they are probing whether he had accomplices.
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The FBI released photos of surveillance footage that shows Shamsud-Din Jabbar an hour before he drove a truck down Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Jan. 1, 2025. (FBI via AP) |
New Orleans officials have declined to comment on the pending litigation.