USC moves to have suit thrown out

USC is seeking to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of two Chinese graduate students who were shot off-campus around 1 a.m. in April. The parents of Ming Qu and Ying Wu, both 23-year-old electrical engineering students, filed the suit May 16 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

USC’s defense is being led by Debra Wong Yang, a former United States attorney who is now a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  USC court papers filed June 18 assert that the university is not responsible for the shootings, according to City News Service.

“Boiled down to its core elements, [the] complaint is nothing more than an attempt to try to hold USC financially responsible for damages inflicted on its students by the criminal behavior of third parties unrelated to USC,” the papers state.

Judge Michael Johnson is scheduled to hear the dismissal motion Aug. 24, according to City News Service.

Bryan Barnes, 20, and Javier Bolden, 19, are facing murder charges for the double homicide of Qu and Wu. If convicted due to special circumstances allegations, Barnes and Bolden face the death penalty. Their arraignment, which was planned for June 25, was postponed until July 18.