• News

Survivor of shooting at Madden tournament in Jacksonville files lawsuit against EA

One of the survivors of the Jacksonville, FL shooting is suing Madden developer Electronic Arts as well as the event's venue for allegedly failing to provide proper security.

Kevin Tucker

August 31, 2018 1:40 PM

6

Senseless violence reared its ugly head just earlier this week when a gunman opened fire at a Madden NFL 19 tournament being held at the GLHF Game Bar in Jacksonville, Florida. Baltimore native David Katz ultimately wound up killing two gamers and injuring several more before taking his own life. Now, one of the survivors of the attack is suing Electronic Arts, the developer and publisher of Madden, as well as the venue itself, for allegedly neglecting to ensure participants' safety.

According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit has been filed by Jacob Mitich, a participant in the tournament who was shot twice by the gunman. The suit was filed in Circuit Court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Duval County, Florida, and seeks an injunction that would "[order] EA to fully vet future venues to 'ensure the safety of participants.'"

Attorney James Young of Morgan and Morgan is quoted in the Hollywood Reporter story providing some background into Mitich's case:

“Like many of his friends, Jacob Mitich traveled to Jacksonville last weekend to do what he loved," Young said. "He trusted the event host and organizers, and believed that he was walking into a safe space. That trust was shattered when shots rang out in an overcrowded, since-shut-down, non-permitted space. Combined with an alleged abject failure to provide adequate security, the result was tragic."

Earlier this week, EA was quoted as saying they intend to "work with [their] partners and [...] internal teams to establish a consistent level of security at all of [the company's] competitive gaming events." Part of that plan involved canceling future Madden NFL 19 qualifiers. The developer and publisher also announced that it would donate $1 million dollars to the victims' families, and would open the Jacksonville Tribute Fund to public contributions.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.