Donor Lawsuit Against NRA Survives Motion to Dismiss

As reported by Bloomberg, the class action lawsuit brought by donors against the National Rifle Association survived a motion to dismiss filed by the NRA. The case is Dell'Aquila v. NRA (M.D. Tenn. 3:19-cv-00679). On March 26, 2025, the court ruled that the plaintiffs had sufficiently alleged their various claims.

More specifically, the plaintiffs are asserting in their Third Amended Complaint claims of fraud, breach of contract, tortious interference with contract, violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO"), and RICO conspiracy, with the two latter claims based on alleged mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.  The alleged factual basis for these claims is that the NRA solicited membership fees and donations purportedly to advance the mission of the NRA, and caused the NRA Foundation to do so as well, but that instead these organizations used a significant portion of the donated funds for unrelated purposes, including personal expenses of now former NRA President Wayne LaPierre.

Lloyd Mayer