Overview
- The verdict stems from a lawsuit by Abigail Zwerner against a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, Virginia.
- Zwerner had sought $40 million in damages, and the jury awarded $10 million after a civil trial concluded Thursday.
- Police said the first-grader brought a handgun from home in a backpack and shot Zwerner in the hand and chest during class in January 2023.
- Zwerner underwent multiple hand surgeries, retains a bullet in her chest, has limited use of her left hand, and later left teaching.
- Defense attorneys argued the attack was not foreseeable, while the plaintiff’s side said staff had alerted the administrator that the child had a firearm.