The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a lawsuit that Cincinnati filed against gunmakers in an attempt to recoup the cost of gun-related violence.
The justices ruled 4-3 that an appeals court was wrong in dismissing the lawsuit and ordered the case back to Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
Justice Francis Sweeney said Wednesday’s ruling does not imply that Cincinnati will be successful in its lawsuit but that the city has enough facts to pursue its claims.
“While we do not predict the outcome of this case, we would be remiss if we did not recognize the importance of allowing” this type of lawsuit to go past the initial stages, Sweeney said.
Chief Justice Thomas Moyer disagreed, saying the injuries that Cincinnati suffered were too far removed from the conduct of gunmakers to give the city the ability to sue.
Cincinnati and other local governments say that millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on police and emergency workers in response to gun-related crime.
Lawyers for gunmakers told the court there is no legal basis for such lawsuits.
