Lawyer looks to sue over Conn. massacre

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NEWTOWN, Conn., Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A Connecticut lawyer filed a request to sue the state on behalf of a 6-year-old who survived the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Attorney Irving Pinsky contended the state failed to adequately protect the students at the school, including his client whom he said suffered "emotional and psychological trauma, the nature and extent of which has not been determined."

The client, identified only as Jill Doe, was in her classroom during the Dec. 14 massacre that left 20 fellow students and six adults dead -- in addition to the shooter, Adam Lanza, who killed his mother before going to Sandy Hook and ended the rampage by killing himself.

Pinsky said authorities likely knew Lanza was mentally unstable and should have considered him potentially violent.

Pinsky needs the permission of the state Claims Commissioner to sue the state, which otherwise enjoys sovereign immunity from lawsuits, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Saturday.

He requested that evidence in the case be frozen to prevent various insurance adjusters from having the opportunity to "shape it" and allow state investigators to determine "why the school was not protected."