An Alabama judge has denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed against Take-Two by the families of two police officers and a dispatcher killed by a Grand Theft Auto-playing teenager. Judge James Moore"s decision to let the case go to trial will come as a blow to the defendants, and follows an earlier victory when notorious anti-videogame campaigner and lawyer Jack Thompson withdrew from the case. Judge Moore also revoked Thompson"s right to practice law in the state.
The lawsuit, which names Sony, Rockstar, Wal-Mart and GameStop alongside Take-Two, was filed in February 2005. According to a statement issued by Thompson, the plaintiffs are seeking "hundreds of millions of dollars" in damages, and Moore"s latest decision means "the way is now clear" for a jury trial.