83 plaintiffs join in on Hood victims lawsuit

83 plaintiffs join in on Hood victims lawsuit
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Nov 25, 2011 10:18:24 EST
The Army, the Defense Department, the FBI and the Department of Justice should have stopped Maj. Nidal Hasan before his deadly shooting rampage in 2009, according to legal action filed by the relatives of his victims.

Eighty-three plaintiffs, including victims and relatives of victims of the attacks at Fort Hood, Texas, seek $750 million in government compensation and have filed an administrative claim against the Army, said their attorney, Neal Sher.

The claim alleges government agencies were guilty of “gross and willful negligence and wanton disregard for the safety of military and civilian personnel,” Sher said in a press release. The government promoted Hasan instead of heeding “warning signs that Hasan posed a grave danger to the lives and safety of soldiers and civilians.”

Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug said the Army was legally barred from commenting on the pending civil claims and the criminal case against Hasan.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist and American-born Muslim, faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole if convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. He is awaiting trial.
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