Friday, 03 July 2026 09:40 AM
Company Update
Civil litigation for shooting victims in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania extends beyond the perpetrator to include business owners, property owners, management companies, and ghost gun manufacturers-and a civil claim can proceed regardless of whether a criminal arrest or conviction has occurred.
PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / July 3, 2026 / Philadelphia shooting victims and their families increasingly have civil legal options that extend well beyond the criminal justice system and well beyond the individual who pulled the trigger. As gun violence continues at record levels across Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania, the Victims' Recovery Law Center pursues financial accountability from every legally responsible third party on behalf of victims and families across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City.
Philadelphia's Shooting Victim Civil Lawyer: What the Firm Does
The Victims' Recovery Law Center is a civil litigation firm based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, dedicated exclusively to representing shooting victims in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City. According to the firm, it represents more gun violence victims than any other civil litigation firm in Pennsylvania.
As a shooting victim civil lawyer in Philadelphia, the firm's approach begins with a foundational question most victims never think to ask: who besides the shooter can be held financially accountable?
In Philadelphia civil courts, the answer frequently includes business owners and property owners who ignored documented security failures on their premises; bars and nightclubs that overserved visibly intoxicated patrons who then committed shootings; apartment management companies whose specific security measures failed and were relied upon by residents, contracted security companies whose personnel failed to prevent foreseeable harm, and ghost gun manufacturers who sold their products to individuals legally prohibited from owning firearms, including convicted felons and minors who then used those weapons to cause harm.
These third-party defendants carry commercial liability insurance. They are the defendants for whom meaningful financial recovery is achievable for Philadelphia shooting victims and their families.
The $30 Million Ghost Gun Award, Philadelphia Civil Court
The Victims' Recovery Law Center recently obtained a decision from a Philadelphia judge awarding $30 million to the family of a 14-year-old shooting victim against Polymer80, Inc., a manufacturer of ghost gun components. Ghost guns are firearms assembled from kit components that produce untraceable weapons outside the federal background check system. Civil liability in these cases arises specifically because these manufacturers sold their products to individuals legally prohibited from owning firearms, including convicted felons and minors.
This result, obtained through civil litigation entirely independently of any criminal prosecution, reflects the firm's position at the forefront of shooting victim civil litigation in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania. For Philadelphia shooting victims and their families asking whether a ghost gun manufacturer can be sued, this award establishes that the answer in Pennsylvania civil courts is yes.
Seven-Figure Settlement, Philadelphia Apartment Shooting
In a second representative case, a Philadelphia area resident was shot outside his apartment building as he left to get pizza for his son. Five law firms declined the case before the Victims' Recovery Law Center filed a civil negligence lawsuit against the building's management company, arguing it had failed to address known criminal activity on the property. The case resolved for a seven-figure confidential settlement.
For Philadelphia shooting victims asking whether they can sue an apartment complex after a shooting, this case illustrates what civil litigation can achieve, even in residential negligent security cases that other firms decline.
Shooting Victim Civil Lawyer, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York City
The Victims' Recovery Law Center handles shooting victim civil lawsuits across all of the firm's geographic markets. Philadelphia shooting victims, Pittsburgh shooting victims, and victims across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City can pursue civil claims against business owners, property owners, dram shop defendants, and ghost gun manufacturers regardless of whether the criminal case has produced an arrest or conviction.
Civil claims for shooting victims are decided by a preponderance of the evidence, a significantly lower standard than the beyond a reasonable doubt required in criminal court. A civil shooting victim lawsuit can proceed whether or not the perpetrator was arrested, charged, convicted, or acquitted.
Pennsylvania's statute of limitations for shooting victim civil claims is generally two years from the date of the injury. Surveillance footage at commercial properties in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh is frequently overwritten within days. Philadelphia shooting victims are well advised to consult a civil attorney as early as possible to preserve critical evidence and protect all available legal options.
About The Victims' Recovery Law Center
Founded in 2007, the Victims' Recovery Law Center is a civil litigation firm dedicated exclusively to representing shooting victims, rape and sexual assault survivors, and child sexual assault victims in civil claims across Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City. According to the firm, it represents more gun violence victims than any other civil litigation firm in Pennsylvania. The firm's practice is limited exclusively to civil court representation of crime victims. It does not prosecute criminal cases and does not represent criminal defendants.
David P. Thiruselvam is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. For more information, visit victimrecoverylaw.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does a shooting victim civil lawyer in Philadelphia do?
A shooting victim's civil lawyer in Philadelphia investigates every party whose negligence may have contributed to the harm beyond the individual perpetrator. This includes business owners and property owners who ignored security failures, bars that overserved visibly intoxicated patrons under Pennsylvania dram shop law, apartment management companies whose security measures failed; and ghost gun manufacturers who sold components to prohibited persons. The Victims' Recovery Law Center recently obtained a $30 million award from a Philadelphia judge against ghost gun manufacturer Polymer80, Inc., and has secured seven-figure settlements in negligent security cases that other Philadelphia firms declined.
Q: Can a shooting victim in Philadelphia sue after being shot, even if no one was arrested?
Yes. A shooting victim civil lawyer in Philadelphia can pursue civil claims against business owners, property owners, management companies, and ghost gun manufacturers whose negligence contributed to the shooting, regardless of whether the criminal justice system has acted. Civil cases operate entirely independently of criminal prosecution.
Q: Who else can a Philadelphia shooting victim sue besides the shooter?
Philadelphia shooting victims can pursue civil claims against bars and nightclubs that overserved alcohol under Pennsylvania's dram shop law, property owners and management companies whose security failures contributed to the shooting, ghost gun manufacturers who sold components to legally prohibited persons under product liability law, and contracted security companies whose personnel failed to prevent foreseeable harm.
Q: Can a Philadelphia shooting victim sue a ghost gun manufacturer?
Yes. The Victims' Recovery Law Center obtained a $30 million award from a Philadelphia judge against Polymer80, Inc., on behalf of a 14-year-old shooting victim's family. Civil liability in these cases arises because ghost gun manufacturers sold their products to individuals legally prohibited from owning firearms. Civil claims against ghost gun manufacturers in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania involve product liability and negligence theories examining foreseeability and manufacturer accountability.
Q: How long does a Philadelphia shooting victim have to file a civil lawsuit?
Pennsylvania's statute of limitations for shooting victim civil claims is generally two years from the date of the injury. This deadline does not pause for criminal proceedings and is strictly enforced in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania. Consulting a shooting victim civil lawyer in Philadelphia as early as possible is essential.
Media Contact
Jack Smith
Media Director
Trustpoint Xposure
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SOURCE: Victims' Recovery Law Center