Club Q survivors file lawsuits against owners and El Paso County
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Nearly two years to the day of the tragedy that killed 5 people and injured 25 more at Club Q in Colorado Springs, survivors and families of the victims have filed new lawsuits.
They believe it could have been prevented, and are going after those who they claim should have done more to stop it.
The night of November 19, 2022, was Barrett Hudson's first time at Club Q.
He was there less than an hour before Anderson Aldrich walked in and started shooting.
Two days later, Hudson spoke to KRDO from the hospital about how he escaped.
"I got shot seven times. I fell. I got back up after he shot me, and I know I got hit twice, but I had no clue I got hit seven times,” he said.
Hudson is now individually suing El Paso County commissioners, former El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder, and Club Q's owner group.
A separate but nearly identical case filed by multiple survivors and relatives of victims targets the same defendants.
Both lawsuits claim the shooting would never have happened if county leaders had used the Red Flag Law to take away Aldrich's guns due to him posing a danger to himself or others in a previous case at his home in Lorson Ranch.
The document reads, “El Paso County law enforcement failed to act, citing local policies against invoking the Red Flag law. This deliberate inaction allowed the shooter continued access to firearms, directly enabling the attack on Club Q.”
The plaintiffs also blame a lack of security at Club Q, especially after the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, which caters to the same group of patrons.
“Despite the increased awareness for greater security at LGBTQIA+ nightclubs, Club Q reduced its security team from five employees to just one—and Club Q no longer employed an armed guard,” the lawsuit states.
Although no specific dollar amount is mentioned, the lawsuits are seeking both economic damages for medical expenses and lost wages, as well as damages for mental anguish and emotional distress.
They describe the shooting as a “devastating outcome of both private negligence and public policy failures.”
KRDO13 reached out to both El Paso County and Club Q's owner on Monday evening.
No one responded to address the lawsuits.
KRDO13 plans to meet with attorneys and some of the survivors on Tuesday to address these new lawsuits.
As part of a plea agreement last year, Aldrich was sentenced to five consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Click here to find KRDO’s extensive coverage of the tragedy that night and the events that followed.
Multi-party lawsuit
Barrett Hudson lawsuit
