Christina Grimmie's family has filed a lawsuit against AEG Live over the death of the 22-year-old singer and former The Voice contestant.
Christina, also a YouTube star and a member of the pop rock group Before You Exit, was signing autographs for fans inside the Plaza Live theater in Orlando, Florida on June 10 when a 27-year-old man opened fire and shot her. She later died in a hospital.
In their lawsuit, filed Tuesday, the singer's parents Albert and Tina Grimmie and brother Marcus Grimmie name the the concert promoter as well as the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Plaza Foundation, which owns the venue where Grimmie shot, and the security company working the event as defendants. They allege wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
"No amount of money will bring Christina back," the family's lawyer said in a statement to E! News. "We believe that those parties who contributed to Christina's untimely death should be held responsible for their conduct or failure to act. We are hopeful that our lawsuit will bring widespread attention to the issue of concert security and safety and that more effective safeguards will be implemented to protect performers and attendees at concerts around the United States in the future."
The gunman had approached Christina alone, wielding two handguns, two loaded magazines and a large hunting knife before firing at the singer, police had said. About 120 people were in The Plaza Live at the time of the shooting.
Christina's family says in their lawsuit that the singer's death "was caused by the negligent and culpable conduct of the defendants who failed to provide adequate security measures to protect Christina at the Plaza Live Theater on June 10, 2016."
They say only "superficial bag checks" were performed on attendees, who were not subject to body pat downs and did not have to go through metal detectors to enter the area.
A police spokesperson had told E! News after the shooting there were no metal detectors at the venue and that while private security guards were present, armed law enforcement officers were not. In addition, fans' purses and backpacks are typically checked when they enter the venue, the police chief told reporters.
After the gunman shot Christina, her brother tackled him to the ground. The shooter then killed himself.
In the lawsuit, the singer's family is requesting a recovery of the future support the singer would have provided to them, the projected income she would have earned had she lived to normal life expectancy, medical and funeral expenses, and damages for mental pain and suffering and for her brother, physical and emotional trauma. They say Marcus suffered a quadriceps tear on his left leg and body bruises during his confrontation with the gunman.
The family demands a jury trial.
Christina was mourned by family and friends at a private burial service. Just hours before the vigil, her brother said on Facebook he was "blown away" after learning that The Voice coach Adam Levine, who worked with the singer on the show, "personally called my mother and said he will pay for the funeral and her plane flight."
After her death, the singer's camp released never-before-seen music videos that she had recorded prior to going on tour.