City Of Tulsa Reacts To Supreme Court Ruling On Dismissal Of Race Massacre Lawsuit

Until now, the City had been hesitant to speak during the litigation and now even with what appears to be a final decision, the Mayor's Office said he would not be doing interviews about it.

Wednesday, June 12th 2024, 6:17 pm



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The City of Tulsa argued in the past it should not have been sued in this case and a judge had dismissed the city and others from the lawsuit.

Now, they're responding to Wednesday's ruling.

Until now, the City had been hesitant to speak during the litigation and now even with what appears to be a final decision, the Mayor's Office said he would not be doing interviews about it.

Related: State Supreme Court Rules Against Race Massacre Survivors In Public Nuisance Lawsuit

It was April when the plaintiffs in the case presented oral arguments before the State Supreme Court and left hopeful they would get a favorable ruling.

"And so we hope to get a decision from this court soon, and the next time you hear from us, we hope to be back in Judge Wall's courtroom getting on with discovery," said attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons.

The decision means the case won't go back to the District Court in Tulsa, which had previously rejected the claims, prompting the appeal.

"You have individuals and companies on Greenwood who are benefitting from the Massacre story..." Solomon-Simmons said.

He mobilized a team of lawyers hoping for the first time to hold someone financially responsible for the damages of the massacre, and what he argued was continuing harm.

The State Supreme Court rejected it all.

The main defendant, the City of Tulsa, said it respects the decision and remains committed to working with residents and providing resources to support North Tulsa and Greenwood, noting initiatives like the 1921 Graves Investigation, work on a vision for Kirkpatrick Heights and the Greenwood Master Plan.

While the two survivors will not get their day in court, the City will continue the search for the unknown number of victims possibly buried in unmarked graves.

The City believes the decision ends the litigation.

Without a response from the attorney who brought the case, his intentions aren't clear.

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