SLG Wins Interlocutory Appeal In Case Involving Tragic Shooting At High School Football Game
New Jersey – August 10, 2026 — Shah Law Group, LLC (“SLG”) is pleased to announce a significant victory in Tennant v. Pleasantville Board of Education, Docket No. A-1177-25. In a published opinion, the Appellate Division reversed the trial court’s denial of summary judgment and held that the plaintiffs had not established a viable constitutional claim against the Board under a state-created danger theory.
The case arose from the tragic November 2019 shooting at a Pleasantville High School football game in which a ten-year-old, M.T., was fatally struck by a bullet fired at another individual. The plaintiffs alleged that the Board failed to take appropriate security measures, including installing metal detectors, to protect them from the threat. Plaintiffs demanded $16 million.
While the trial court dismissed all of plaintiffs’ negligence claims, it allowed them to proceed on their theory that the Board violated plaintiffs’ rights under the New Jersey Constitution. SLG sought and obtained interlocutory review.
The Appellate Division, in a unanimous opinion, concluded that the circumstances did not satisfy the demanding legal standard required for a state-created danger claim. The court emphasized that the state-created danger doctrine represents a narrow exception to the general rule that a government actor is not constitutionally responsible for protecting individuals from criminal conduct by private actors.
SLG Partners Todd McGarvey and Roshan D. Shah represented the Board.
About Shah Law Group, LLC
Shah Law Group, LLC is a New Jersey–based litigation firm representing clients in complex civil litigation matters. The Firm has offices in Shrewsbury, NJ, Cherry Hill, NJ, and New York City.
