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The parents of Emily Finn are suing the family of the Nesconset teen accused of killing her, alleging that Austin Lynch’s parents invited the 18-year-old to their home the day she was shot dead — to console their son over the breakup that was tearing him apart.
The civil complaint goes further, saying the Lynches kept a loaded, unsecured gun in their house that day despite knowing their son had a documented history of violent and emotionally unstable behavior directed specifically at Finn.
Additionally, the lawsuit notes that the Lynches — two weeks after their son allegedly executed Finn as she went to leave their house in November — gave the home away for free to Lynch’s maternal grandparents, in an effort to preemptively protect the family’s assets.
Filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court on behalf of Ryan Finn and Cliantha Miller-Finn, the lawsuit names Jason and Melissa Lynch — Austin’s parents — as well as Dennis and Deborah Orioles, Melissa Lynch’s parents, as defendants.
Austin Lynch, now 18, is accused of shooting Emily Finn, 18, of West Sayville, in the back of the head, at close range, as she was leaving the family’s home at 134 Shenandoah Blvd. on Nov. 26. It was the day before his 18th birthday.
He then shot himself in the face, surviving the wound, prosecutors said. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. In March, he was arraigned on an additional charge of fourth-degree conspiracy after prosecutors alleged he plotted a burglary of the Finns’ West Sayville home from behind bars.
Lynch has been found not competent to stand trial on the murder charge and was committed to a state mental health hospital until he is able to understand the charges against him.
The civil complaint, filed in January by the Melville firm Suris & Associates, P.C., paints a deeply alarming picture of what allegedly took place in the hours before the shooting.
It states that Jason and Melissa Lynch were well aware of their son’s “multiple violent, intense and emotionally/psychologically unstable episodes” concerning his relationship with Emily — and had been “keenly aware of the potential for a violent act to be committed by their Son, Austin Lynch as against” her.
Yet, the suit alleges, the couple not only kept a gun in the home in an unsecured, unrestrained and openly accessible condition, but also invited Finn there on Nov. 26 to help calm Austin over his distress — a mood that the complaint alleges was driven specifically by Emily Finn putting the kibosh on their relationship while she was away at SUNY Oneonta for her freshman year.
The Lynches invited Finn to their home that morning “for the purposes of consoling, comforting, addressing, aiding and assisting in their son, Austin Lynch’s latest episodic mental, emotional and psychologic issue” — with “knowledge, foresight, forewarning and keen understanding” that the source of that episode was his relationship with Finn, according to the court filing.
Attorneys for the Lynches and Orioles, represented by the Law Office of Patricia Byrne Blair of Blue Point, filed court papers in March denying the core allegations in their entirety, including all claims of negligence, fraudulent conveyance and prior knowledge of Austin’s danger to Finn.
Their answer asserts that the complaint “fails to state a cause of action” and challenges personal jurisdiction over the defendants.
Inside the complaint
Austin Lynch shot Finn about 11:15 a.m. with the unsecured firearm his parents owned, managed and maintained on the property, the Finns’ lawsuit alleges, adding that he did so “without just cause or provocation.”
Emily Finn, a 2025 Sayville High School graduate, was pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher. She and Austin Lynch had dated for three years before she broke up with him last fall.
The suit further alleges that on Dec. 7 the Lynches conveyed their Nesconset property to Melissa Lynch’s parents, “for $0 consideration.”
The Finn family’s attorneys allege the transfer was a fraudulent conveyance intended to shield the Lynches’ assets from any judgment and render them uncollectable, charging that all four defendants “had actual knowledge of the claims made against” the Lynches and “participated together in the aforesaid fraudulent conveyance.”
The complaint asserts 10 causes of action, including negligence in the ownership and control of the firearm and premises, wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering, and multiple counts of fraud under New York Debtor and Creditor Law.
The Finns seek damages exceeding the jurisdictional limits of all lower courts, though no specific dollar figure is stated. They also seek a court order freezing any further transfers of property and the appointment of a receiver to take charge of the Lynches’ assets pending a final determination.
Attorneys for the Lynches and Orioles, represented by the Law Office of Patricia Byrne Blair of Blue Point, filed a verified answer in March denying the core allegations in their entirety, including all claims of negligence, fraudulent conveyance and prior knowledge of Austin’s danger to Finn. The answer asserts that the complaint “fails to state a cause of action” and challenges personal jurisdiction over the defendants. Jason and Melissa Lynch each signed the answer personally under oath.
A GoFundMe established in Emily’s memory by family friend Heather Corcoran has raised more than $100,000, with proceeds benefiting her parents.
The family has said a portion of the funds will go toward establishing a foundation focused on gun safety, domestic violence awareness and adolescent mental health.
Austin Lynch has been found not competent to stand trial on the murder charge. A new mental health evaluation was ordered in March, with a return court date set for May.
Top: (clockwise from bottom left) Shooting victim Emily Finn of West Sayville (courtesy of GoFundMe); Austin Lynch, via Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; and Lynch with his parents, Jason and Melissa (Facebook/Jason Lynch).
Prior coverage
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