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January 29, 2025 – USA –
The family of 24-year-old Dylan Lyons, a multimedia journalist with Spectrum News 13, has filed a negligence lawsuit against his employer, Charter Communications, alleging systemic safety failures that contributed to his death. Lyons was fatally shot on February 22, 2023, while reporting on an active shooter incident in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Orlando, Florida—a story that tragically ended in his death alongside that of a nine-year-old girl, T’Yonna Major, and another victim, Nathacha Augustin.
The lawsuit, initiated on January 29, 2025, contends that Spectrum News 13 sent Lyons and another photojournalist into a volatile scene without adequate safety briefing, protective equipment, or the option to refuse the assignment. According to attorney Mark NeJame, “Journalists … are directed to go into potential harm’s way … without appropriate security measures, choices, or proper consideration of their well‑being,” a directive that “should not equate to a death sentence”.
Spectrum has vehemently rejected the claims as “unfounded,” describing Lyons’s death as an unforeseeable tragedy and pledging to seek dismissal of the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges Charter Communications owed a non-delegable duty to provide regular, adequate safety training, yet repeatedly failed to do so. A related lawsuit filed in mid-February 2025 targets the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, accusing deputies of insufficiently warning the community and media regarding the suspect’s presence, disproportionately leaving Pine Hills inadequately informed compared to wealthier areas. Attorneys argue deputies falsely assured residents the scene was safe, even as the shooter remained at large.
The dual legal actions underscore growing concern over journalists’ safety in high-risk locales where local reporting assumptions of danger are often neglected. Media safety experts have noted an undeniable increase in threats to field reporters, particularly those working in crime-prone areas. Renowned lawyers seeking accountability aim to establish clearer duty-of-care standards, including informed consent and protective measures during dangerous assignments.
As legal proceedings unfold, these cases could set important precedents for newsroom liability and law enforcement responsibilities when sending personnel into harm’s way.
Reference –
https://www.wesh.com/article/dylan-lyons-news-13-reporter-killed-lawsuit/63606456
