Hatcher celebrates survival of 25-year Gary lawsuit, objects gun lobby’s attempted interference in state court
Yesterday, Aug. 12, a civil division of the Lake Superior Court denied the motion to dismiss the 25-year lawsuit Gary v. Glock Corp. (1999). The motion followed the State’s attempted intervention in the suit through the passage of House Enrolled Act 1235, which prohibits any entity but the state of Indiana from pursuing legal action against firearms manufacturers. HEA 1235 retroactively went into effect on Aug. 27, 1999 – three days before the City of Gary filed their nuisance suit. The motion to dismiss was denied to avoid violating Gary’s Memorandum of Law.
State Rep. Ragen Hatcher (D-Gary), an attorney, released the following statement:
“The state attempted to intervene in this 25-year lawsuit on behalf of the gun lobby. When the legislature passed this law, they breached the separation of powers of Indiana’s three branches of government. The legislature attempted to interfere in the courts and provide firearm manufacturers with a degree of legal immunity. I became an attorney because I believe in the power of justice and the rule of law. Yesterday’s decision upheld the rule of law, and the court recognized the importance of this lawsuit to Gary and Indiana’s other urban communities. Yet again, the gun lobby tried to stop this lawsuit and yet again Gary prevailed.
“I was in school in 1999, and at that time Gary was the murder capital of the world. I remember this lawsuit being filed and it felt like we were taking action. We were doing something to combat the rise in gun violence and increase public safety. Gary has improved immensely since then in part due to this lawsuit. This lawsuit warns firearm manufacturers that we noticed their predatory practices. We noticed that they were pumping guns to retailers even though our community was suffering.
“This is a major win that our community deserves. My father, the late Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher, once said ‘No one will save us but us.' This lawsuit is a piece of the change we, as a community, want to see. I am thankful this lawsuit lives.”