A newly filed wrongful death lawsuit alleges Lowe’s in Scranton ignored red flags and escalating warning signs from one of its employees, culminating when the man brought a gun to work in June and murdered a coworker.
The lawsuit contends that the death of Lowe’s employee Jeffrey Moeller, 44, was entirely preventable had the company not “egregiously ignored the danger” posed to him by his coworker, Christopher Wasnetsky, who “harbored deep personal animosity” toward him, according to the lawsuit filed in Lackawanna County Court on Monday by Philadelphia-based Ross Feller Casey LLP.
The law firm filed the suit on behalf of Keisha Moeller of Scranton, who is Moeller’s widow and the administratrix of his estate. The Moellers had three daughters ages 6, 8 and 11, according to a news release.
On June 14, Wasnetsky, 36, brought a 9mm handgun to work at Lowe’s on Viewmont Drive, shooting Moeller in the chest while he worked and then shooting him again in the head, according to police.
Shortly before the shooting, Wasnetsky emailed Lowe’s and told the company it could have prevented Moeller’s killing, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit points to multiple instances of Moeller raising concerns to management about Wasnetsky, including that he had “serious safety concerns” and that Wasnetsky “poses a significant risk to himself and others.”
Wasnetsky, who made unfounded claims to Lowe’s management about Moeller, including that he hid forklift keys and changed the font size on his computer to annoy him, also told the company that Moeller had him “physically shaking with anger” and that he “couldn’t sleep one day because he was making me so angry,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages on counts of negligence and recklessness, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement and wrongful death.
Wasnetsky of Benton Twp. remains in Lackawanna County Prison without bail on counts of first- and third-degree murder after waiving his preliminary hearing in October.
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