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    City of Philadelphia Holds Gun Shops Accountable in Straw Purchasing Litigation Brought With Everytown Law

    City of Philadelphia v. WRT Management, Inc. f/k/a Tanner’s Sport Center Inc., et al.

    11.3.2023

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      Everytown Law partners with the Philadelphia Law Department and Kramer Levin to sue three Philadelphia-area gun stores tied to over 1300 crime guns recovered by the City.

      Philadelphia, PA – Everytown Law represented the City of Philadelphia in its lawsuit against three area gun dealers: Delia’s Gun Shop, and Frank’s Gun Shop & Shooting Range, and WRT Management, formerly known as Tanner’s Sports Center. The City’s complaint alleges that these stores are responsible for supplying an outsized share of the City’s illegal secondary market for crime guns through repeated facilitation of illegal straw purchases. Delia’s Gun Shop, operating for years in Northeast Philadelphia, was the source of 803 crime guns recovered in Pennsylvania from 2015-2019. The City’s investigation demonstrated that from 2018 through 2023, Delia’s sold at least 33 firearms to eight different customers who Delia’s knew or should have known were illegally straw purchasing the guns. When asked about these transactions during depositions, Delia’s employees repeatedly asserted their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Eight of these guns have already been recovered by the Philadelphia Police Department. Jointly, these guns have been connected to 13 separate shootings, with several individual guns each connected to multiple shootings. Frank’s, formerly located in Northeast Pennsylvania, was the source of 264 crime guns recovered in Pennsylvania from 2015-2019 and was alleged to have sold at least 48 guns to at least 15 different straw purchasers between April 2018 and December 2021. WRT Management, Inc.—which formerly did business as Tanner’s Sports Center Inc. in Jamison, PA.—was the source of 239 crime guns recovered in Pennsylvania between 2015 and 2019 and was alleged to have sold at least 79 guns to at least 11 different straw purchasers between April 2019 and May 2021.

      On May 1, Mad Minute Enterprises, LLC d/b/a Delia’s Gun Shop, a long time contributor to gun violence in Philadelphia, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy days before the City of Philadelphia’s lawsuit against it was set to go to trial. The owners of the two other defendants, Frank’s Gun Shop and WRT Management, Inc. previously settled with the City, agreeing to no longer participate in the gun business. During the pendency of the litigation, Frank’s Gun Shop’s firearms license was revoked, in part due to its facilitation of straw purchasing. WRT Management also assigned all of its rights to insurance coverage to the City, up to an amount of $11.9 million.

      Case Documents

      October 31, 2023 – Amended ComplaintDownload
      November 21, 2023 – Delia’s Preliminary Objections to Amended ComplaintDownload
      November 21, 2023 – Frank’s Preliminary Objections to Amended ComplaintDownload
      December 14, 2023 – WRT Management Inc’s Preliminary Objections to Amended ComplaintDownload
      December 14, 2023 – WRT Management Inc’s Preliminary Objections Memorandum of LawDownload
      December 22, 2023 – Plaintiff’s Response in Opposition to Delia’s and Frank’s Preliminary ObjectionsDownload
      January 9, 2024 – Delia’s Reply to Plaintiff’s Memorandum of LawDownload
      January 10, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Response in Opposition to WRT’s Preliminary ObjectionsDownload
      February 7, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Praecipe to Provide Supplemental AuthorityDownload
      March 19, 2024 – Order Overruling Delia’s Preliminary ObjectionsDownload
      March 19, 2024 – Order Overruling Frank’s Preliminary ObjectionsDownload
      March 20, 2024 – Order Denying WRT Management Inc’s Preliminary ObjectionsDownload
      April 12, 2024 – Motion to AmendDownload
      April 18, 2024 – Delia’s Answer to ComplaintDownload
      April 18, 2024 – Frank’s Answer to ComplaintDownload
      April 25, 2024 – WRT Management Inc’s Answer to ComplaintDownload
      April 26, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Opposition to WRT Management Inc’s’ Motion to Certify Case for Interlocutory AppealDownload
      April 26, 2024 – Order Denying Frank’s and Delia’s Motions to AmendDownload
      May 24, 2024 – Petition for Allowance of Appeal with ExhibitsDownload
      June 17, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Answer Opposing Petition for AppealDownload
      August 26, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Discovery Production and Responses (Delia’s)Download
      September 5, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Discovery Production and Responses (Frank’s)Download
      September 10, 2024 – Defendant’s Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Discovery (Delia’s)Download
      September 24, 2024 – Defendant’s Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Discovery (Frank’s)Download
      September 26, 2024 – Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Discovery as Uncontested (Frank’s)Download
      September 30, 2024 – Defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration of Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel (Frank’s)Download
      October 2, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration (Frank’s)Download
      October 3, 2024 – Defendant’s Reply to Plaintiff’s Opposition to Motion for Reconsideration (Frank’s)Download
      October 8, 2024 – Defendant’s Supplemental Brief in Support of Opposition to Motion to Compel (Frank’s)Download
      October 8, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Supplemental Brief in Support of Motion to Compel Discovery (Delia’s)Download
      October 8, 2024 – Defendant’s Supplemental Reply in Opposition of Motion to Compel Discovery (Delia’s)Download
      October 24, 2024 – Order Denying Defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration (Frank’s)Download
      November 4, 2024 – Petition for Appeal DeniedDownload
      November 12, 2024 – Plaintiff’s Petition for Special and Preliminary Injunctions and Show Cause Hearing (Frank’s)Download
      November 14, 2024 – Order Granting Special and Preliminary Injunctions (Frank’s)Download
      November 15, 2024 – Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Discovery (Delia’s)Download
      November 26, 2024 – Order Rescheduling Preliminary Injunction Hearing (Frank’s)Download
      March 20, 2025 – Motion for Sanctions and Related Relief for Spoliation of Evidence by Defendant Frank’s Gun ShopDownload
      March 20, 2025 – Declarations and Exhibits in Support of Motion for SanctionsDownload
      April 7, 2025 – City’s Notice to Court Regarding SpoliationDownload
      April 7, 2025 – Frank’s Opposition to Sanctions Motion Download
      April 8, 2025 – Frank’s Supplemental Response to Sanctions MotionDownload
      April 9, 2025 – Goldstein Law Partners LLC’s Opposition to Sanctions MotionDownload
      April 25, 2025 – City’s Reply in Support of Sanctions MotionDownload
      May 21, 2025 – Order Denying Sanctions MotionDownload
      August 1, 2025 – City’s Omnibus Discovery MotionDownload
      August 15, 2025 – Delia’s Opposition to Discovery MotionDownload
      September 9, 2025 – Order Granting in Part City’s Discovery MotionDownload
      November 25, 2025 –  Delia’s Omnibus Discovery MotionDownload
      December 1, 2025 – Delia’s Motion for Summary JudgmentDownload
      December 1, 2025 – Exhibits Supporting Delia’s Motion for Summary JudgmentDownload
      December 1, 2025 – City’s Motion for Partial Summary JudgmentDownload
      December 1, 2025 – Declaration and Exhibits Supporting the City’s MotionDownload
      December 9, 2025 – City’s Opposition to Delia’s Omnibus Discovery MotionDownload
      January 12, 2026 – Order Denying Delia’s Discovery MotionDownload
      January 16, 2026 – City’s Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Delia’s Motion for Summary JudgmentDownload
      January 16, 2026 – Declaration of Jed Miller in Support of the City’s Opposition to Delia’s Motion for Summary JudgmentDownload
      January 16, 2026 – City’s Exhibits in Support of its Opposition to Delia’s Motion for Summary JudgmentDownload
      January 16, 2026 – Delia’s Opposition to the City’s Motion for Partial Summary JudgmentDownload
      January 16, 2026 – Delia’s Exhibits in Support of its Opposition to the City’s MSJDownload
      February 9, 2026 – Order Denying Delia’s Motion for Summary JudgmentDownload
      February 9, 2026 – Order Granting in Part the City’s Motion for Partial Summary JudgmentDownload
      Expert Witness Report of Andrew TraverDownload
      Expert Witness Report of Ted Miller, PhDDownload
      Expert Witness Report of Daniel Webster, PhDDownload
      March 5, 2026 – Pre-Trial OrderDownload
      April 20, 2026 – City’s Motion in LimineDownload
      April 21, 2026 – Order Approving WRT Management, Inc.’s Stipulated DismissalDownload
      April 27, 2026 – Order Approving Frank’s Stipulated DismissalDownload
      May 1, 2026 – Delia’s Voluntary Petition for Non-Individuals Filing for BankruptcyDownload

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      Did you know?

      30 percent of guns recovered by ATF in California have no serial number on them, making it impossible for law enforcement to trace.

      Stephens A. “Ghost Guns Are Everywhere in California”. The Trace. (2019). https://bit.ly/2DKkIlt