February 24, 2022 – Today the Nevada Supreme Court issued an order unanimously denying plaintiffs’ petition for rehearing from its December 2, 2021 decisionregarding the Nevada firearm industry immunity statute, NRS 41.131(1). The December 2, 2021 decision was issued in the case of Parsons v. Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, et al. and held that NRS 41.131(1) provides the manufacturers and dealers of the AR-type rifles used in the October 1, 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas with immunity from the lawsuit filed against them. Renzulli Law Firm represented five of the rifle manufacturers named as defendants in the proceeding before the Nevada Supreme Court.
The Court did not provide any explanation for its decision to deny plaintiffs’ petition for rehearing of its December 2, 2021 decision. That decision had been issued in response to questions that had been certified to it by Judge Gordon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada in connection with a motion to dismiss that had been filed by the defendants. The Court’s December 2, 2021 decision had unanimously held that NRS 41.131(1) provides defendants with immunity from plaintiffs’ claims, regardless of whether the rifles at issue are considered to be legal semi-automatic rifles or illegal machineguns, because their claims are based on the rifles’ capability to cause serious injury or death.
If you have any questions concerning the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision in the Parsons case or the defense of cases against firearms manufacturers and sellers for claims arising from the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearms, please contact John F. Renzulli or Christopher Renzulli.
