After the families of three of serial killer Todd Kohlhepp's victims filed lawsuits against the gun store that sold the firearms used in their loved one's murders, the gun store is suing Kohlhepp and the man who originally bought the weapons.

Cindy Coxie, whose son was found buried on Kohlhepp's Woodruff property in 2016, filed suit against Academy Sports in December. And in August, the families of Meghan Coxie and Charles Carver filed similar complaints after a circuit court judge ruled Cindy Coxie's suit could go forward.

The respective lawsuits assert that Academy Sports was negligent in selling multiple firearms to Dustan Lawson, which he in turn gave to Kohlhepp.

Previously:Lawsuit claims Academy Sports was negligent in selling guns used by serial killer Todd Kohlhepp

In May 2018, Lawson, pleaded guilty to 36 federal firearm charges after buying silencers and guns from several firearm vendors in Greenville and Spartanburg counties and giving them to Kohlhepp.

Law enforcement discovered the bodies of Carver, and Johnny and Meghan Coxie on Kohlhepp's 96-acre property in 2016 after rescuing an Upstate woman the serial killer had held captive on the tract for several months. Kohlhepp admitted to a 2003 quadruple murder shortly after and was convicted of all seven slayings in 2017.

In its crossclaims, which were all filed Sep. 27, Academy argues it's owed damages from Lawson and Kohlhepp, who hurt the company in buying the firearms under false pretenses. The company also denies all of the allegations in the complaints, asserts the lawsuits against it should be dismissed, and requests reimbursement for legal costs in its answers.

According to the original complaints, Lawson made five "straw purchases" — buying guns on behalf of someone legally barred from owning them — at Academy Sports' Spartanburg County location during a 10-month period from 2012 to 2013. He then gave those guns to Kohlhepp, who was prohibited from owning guns after a 1987 rape conviction in Arizona. Kohlhepp then used a gun purchased from Academy to kill Carver and Megahn and Johnny Coxie, according to the complaints.

Ongoing dispute:Family of two more Todd Kohlhepp victims sue firearm retailer Academy Sports

The lawsuits claim Academy Sports, a national brand with more than 250 locations, did not have proper policies and procedures in place, and should have prevented Lawson from making straw purchases at its store.

The complaints list multiple indicators they assert should have alerted store employees that Lawson was purchasing the guns for someone else, including his repeated purchase of the same kind of gun, his use of cash in each purchase, the number of guns he was buying, and the fact that the quantity and timing of his purchases narrowly avoided minimum requirements for federal reporting laws.

In its answers, Academy said Lawson repeatedly lied on federal forms while buying the guns by saying that the weapons were for him, and the company had no way of knowing he was being dishonest. The firearm dealer also argues that federal law protects it from such litigation.

In his decision allowing Cindy Coxie's case to continue, Circuit Court Judge Mark Hayes wrote that a lack of case law in South Carolina related to such cases was among the reasons the arguments on both sides needed to be developed further.

Since the complaint was filed in December, attorneys with the national gun control lobby Brady Center and Campaign to End Gun Violence has joined Cindy Coxie's legal team, and the Renzulli Law Firm, a New York firm specializing in firearm law, has joined Academy's team.