Pathmark Shooting Victim Family Files Lawsuit Against Supermarket

The family of one of the victims of the Old Bridge Pathmark supermarket shooting is suing the chain.

The family of Cristina LoBrutto is filing the suit on behalf of her estate claiming that the chain broke one of its store policies prohibiting employees from leaving the store overnight according to the Star Ledger. Gunman Terrance Tyler left the store and came back armed with an assault rile he fired into the store killing LoBrutto & Bryan Breen.

The suit against The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P), Pathmark of Old Bridge Inc.and property owner Garden Commercial Properties also claims the store did not properly do a background check on Tyler, a former Marine.

The suit claims no one in management checked on Tyler's whereabouts when he left or knew where he had gone. "Managers and agents" of the store, according to the suit, propped open the front door.

“Defendants had a responsibility and duty to take reasonable and adequate steps to prevent the hiring of any person who has violent propensities,” the suit states. “Pathmark and A&P did fail to properly conduct background searches on employee Terrance Tyler prior to his hiring and otherwise supervise his employment which directly led to his violence on Aug. 31, 2012.”

The LoBrutto family has come out in support of legislation that would require potential employers to check an applicant's social media accounts.