Activision Submits Extensive Defense in Call of Duty Uvalde School Shooting Lawsuit

Activision Rebuts Uvalde Lawsuit Claims, Citing First Amendment Protections

Activision Blizzard has filed a robust defense against lawsuits filed by Uvalde shooting victims' families, vehemently denying any causal link between its Call of Duty franchise and the 2022 Robb Elementary School tragedy. The May 2024 lawsuits allege the shooter's exposure to Call of Duty's violent content contributed to the massacre.

The lawsuit highlights the shooter's history as a Call of Duty player, including his November 2021 download of Modern Warfare, and the use of an AR-15 rifle, similar to in-game weaponry. The plaintiffs contend that Activision, alongside Meta (via Instagram), fostered a harmful environment encouraging violent behavior in vulnerable adolescents.

Activision's December filing, a comprehensive 150-page response, refutes all allegations. The company asserts the absence of a direct connection between Call of Duty and the Uvalde shooting and seeks dismissal under California's anti-SLAPP laws, designed to shield free speech from frivolous litigation. The publisher further emphasizes Call of Duty's status as an expressive work protected by the First Amendment, arguing that claims based on "hyper-realistic content" infringe upon this fundamental right.

Supporting its defense, Activision submitted expert declarations. Professor Matthew Thomas Payne of Notre Dame University, in a 35-page statement, counters the lawsuit's "training camp" assertion, contextualizing Call of Duty's military realism within the broader tradition of war-themed films and television. A 38-page declaration from Patrick Kelly, Call of Duty's head of creative, details the game's development, including the substantial $700 million budget allocated to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

The Uvalde families have until late February to respond to Activision's extensive documentation. The case's outcome remains uncertain, but it underscores the ongoing debate surrounding the correlation between violent video games and mass shootings.