Judge Allows $40 Million Lawsuit to Proceed After 6-Year-Old Shoots Virginia Teacher

A judge in Newport News, Virginia, has ruled that a teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student can proceed with her $40 million lawsuit against the school system. The judge's decision allows Abby Zwerner to seek compensation beyond workers' compensation for the injuries she sustained in the classroom shooting. Zwerner's attorneys argued that workers' compensation did not apply because being shot by a student was not an actual risk of her job as a first-grade teacher. The judge agreed, stating that the danger of being shot by a student is not unique to the job of a first-grade teacher. Zwerner alleges that school administrators ignored warnings about the student having a gun and dismissed concerns about his troubling behavior. The school board plans to appeal the decision.