Current and former state officials on June 30 moved to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a correctional officer killed in a Feb. 1 prison uprising at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center.

In separate briefs, former Govs. Jack Markell and Ruth Ann Minner and representatives from the Delaware Department of Correction claimed qualified immunity and argued that they were under no constitutional obligation to ensure proper levels of staffing and training at the Smyrna prison.

Decisions regarding the allocation of funding and resources, they said, fell exclusively to the General Assembly, in a legislative process that insulated the officials from liability.