A state appeals court Thursday rejected a woman’s attempt to seek punitive damages against the AMC movie-theater company after a 2018 incident in which gunshots in a parking lot caused moviegoers to rush from a theater.
The woman, Faye Crump, filed a lawsuit against AMC because of injuries she suffered when she fell and was stepped on by other people as they fled the Altamonte Springs theater, according to the ruling by a panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal.
Crump later sought to amend the lawsuit to pursue punitive damages, alleging that AMC had failed to properly train employees and ensure policies were followed to prevent the panic that led to her injuries, the ruling said.
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But a Seminole County circuit judge rejected the claim for punitive damages, and the appeals-court panel upheld that decision, saying Crump had not met a legal test of showing “gross negligence” by the theater.
“Undoubtedly, the shooting outside in the parking lot sparked panic at the AMC theater that seems to have ultimately made its way into Theater 11 (where Crump had gone to watch a movie),” said Thursday’s ruling, written by Judge Adrian Soud and joined by Chief Judge James Edwards and Judge Scott Makar.
“In such a setting of confusion and concern, the conduct of AMC’s employees — even if determined negligent — simply does not set forth any reasonable evidentiary basis for the imposition of punitive damages.” The ruling said the person who fired the gunshots was subdued by a security guard and held on the ground until police arrived.
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