Parkland families win settlement against FBI

by mcardinal

Marion Bae, FISM News

 

It’s been almost 4 years since the 2018 Parkland massacre that claimed 17 lives in Florida. It is the deadliest high school shooting in the U.S. to date. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz plead guilty  to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in October of 2021, but the parents of the victims were looking for further reparations. 

According to NPR, the families of the victims and their attorneys reached a settlement on Monday regarding their lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and their failure to “act on tips about the gunman.”

The total amount of the settlement is reported to be $130 million , according to a source familiar with the negotiations, but this amount is not included on the documentation. 

According to ABC News, who also reported to have obtained documents from the court proceedings, the specifics of the settlement are set to be reached next month, by December 20th. The Department of Justice itself has not issued any specifics on the Parkland settlement. 

“Although no resolution could ever restore what the Parkland families lost, this settlement marks an important step toward justice,” said Kristina Infante of Podhurst Orseck, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, in a press release.

As it has been noted in other outlets, however, the DOJ did release a statement on October 28th regarding the Mother Emmanuel Charleston Church shooting settlements.  That tragedy took place 6 years ago in South Carolina. The settlements in that case were said to range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant for those killed, and $5 million per claimant for survivors. 

To date there are no statements on the DOJ website regarding the settlement for the Parkland families.

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