The parents of Jillian Ludwig, the 18-year-old Belmont University freshman who was fatally shot while walking in Nashville last year, have filed a lawsuit against Metro Nashville government, Belmont University, and several others. Jessica and Matt Ludwig filed the lawsuit in Davidson County Circuit Court Nov. 6, just one day before the anniversary of their daughter’s death, seeking $50 million in damages for pain and suffering, wrongful death, medical expenses, and loss of future income, according to The Tennessean and Law & Crime.
The lawsuit names the university, Metro Nashville government, an unnamed security company, police officer, the person who gave the suspect the gun, and the suspect, Shaquille Taylor. The defendants are accused of contributing to Ludwig’s death, the lawsuit claiming the fatal shooting was “made possible by the multiple combined acts of negligence and recklessness committed by the Defendants.”
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Ludwig, 18, was walking at Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park on the afternoon of Nov. 7, 2023 when a stray bullet allegedly fired by Taylor, who was targeting an individual in a moving vehicle, struck her in the head. Ludwig was not discovered until about an hour later. She was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in “extremely critical condition” and later succumbed to her injuries.
The suit argues that Belmont University “assumed the duty of notifying and warning students concerning safe and unsafe areas near campus.” However, Ludwig was “not aware that the park was an area known to have high levels of criminal activity” and that the park was “not a safe location” for students. It also claims that the Metro Nashville Housing Authority was negligent in its training of security staff.
Ludwig’s family also argues that the Metro Nashville Police Department was negligent in investigating the scene after knowing that a shooting had taken place, and argues that the state government and multiple employees “had a duty to Jillian to determine the competency of Taylor to stand trial for charges related to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and/or whether or not Taylor, if he was not competent to stand trial, should be subject to involuntary commitment.” Just seven months before the shooting, Taylor had been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but was released after he was deemed incompetent to stand trial and failed to meet the eligibility requirements to be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.
Ludwig’s family is seeking $50 million in damages and a jury trial. Taylor, meanwhile, has been charged with felony murder and tampering with evidence charges.
