PARKLAND, Fla. – The families of victims killed during a school shooting in Parkland in 2018 have reached a $25 million settlement with the school district, media outlets reported Monday.
The families of the 17 killed, 17 injured and 18 traumatized during the massacre at the school claimed the Broward County School District was negligent, WPLG reported. The largest payments will go to the 17 families who lost children and spouses in the tragedy.
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According to Attorney David Brill, who is representing the families of the 52 victims, the term negotiations with BCPS attorneys were ongoing.
Those families sued the school district, claiming its negligence was a contributing factor leading to the troubled former student making his way into the school and opening fire.
“There’s no amount of money in existence that would compensate the many victims adequately, but given the circumstances of this particular case and the fact that the school board is a sovereign immune entity, this is a fair and remarkable settlement,” said Brill.
The settlement comes after the school district had won a state Supreme Court ruling that could have capped total damages at $300,000 without approval from the Legislature, CBS News reported.
The gunman who killed 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland, Florida, high school will plead guilty to their murders, his attorneys said Friday, bringing some closure to a South Florida community more than three years after an attack that sparked a nationwide movement for gun control.
The guilty plea would set up a penalty phase where Nikolas Cruz, 23, would be fighting against the death penalty and hoping for life without parole.