Closing Arguments in Teacher’s Civil Lawsuit
Closing arguments wrapped up on Wednesday in a civil case involving a Virginia teacher and a school administrator, who was shot by a 6-year-old student. A jury is now set to deliberate on this high-profile multimillion-dollar lawsuit.
Abigail Zwirner, formerly a teacher at Rich Neck Elementary School, is seeking $40 million in damages from ex-assistant principal Ebony Parker. Zwirner claims that Parker disregarded her warnings about the potential risks of students bringing guns to school.
Her attorneys say that due to Parker’s inaction, Zwirner was shot in the chest and hand on January 6, 2023. Fortunately, the bullet just missed her heart and is still lodged in her chest.
During the closing arguments, Zwirner’s lawyer, Kevin Biniazan, criticized Parker for not responding to complaints regarding a child possessing a gun on school property.
“Guns change everything,” Biniazan stated, urging stronger action. He added, “Stop and find out.”
Zwirner’s legal team emphasized that Parker ignored multiple alerts from teachers concerning the child’s troubling behavior prior to the incident.
However, Parker’s defense attorney, Sandra Douglas, countered that her client made appropriate decisions in real-time rather than judging with hindsight. Douglas stressed that the jury should consider only what Parker knew at the time.
She also raised questions about Zwirner’s claims of becoming a recluse after the shooting, saying, “I’m not making light of what happened to Mr. Zwirner. I don’t mean that. But when someone’s asking for $40 million, it’s my job to show that there’s another side to the story.”
In response, Biniazan pointed out that the emotional toll on Zwirner has been significant enough to reduce her life expectancy to 53 years.
“When we talk about what is fair, we are not just deciding what will happen tomorrow,” he explained. “I can’t come back here in years and ask Mr. Zwirner how she’s doing.”
Zwirner, who was just 25 during the shooting, shared her harrowing experience on the stand. “The last thing I remember from school was thinking I was dying. I thought I was either on my way to heaven or already there,” she recounted. “Then everything went black.”
Aside from the civil case, Parker is facing eight felony counts of child neglect related to the incident. Each count corresponds to one of the eight shots fired, which endangered students in Zwirner’s classroom.
The child’s mother, Dejah Taylor, is currently serving a two-year prison sentence after admitting to charges of child neglect and firearm offenses.
The seven-member jury is expected to resume deliberations on Thursday. So far, neither Zwirner nor Parker’s attorneys have made public comments regarding the ongoing trial.
