School massacre families settle lawsuit with district

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The families of the 17 people killed in the 2018 Florida high school massacre, most of the wounded and others traumatized have reached a $25 million settlement with the Broward County school district in a lawsuit that had accused it of negligence.

David Brill, the families’ attorney, confirmed this week that 52 families from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland  will be part of the settlement, which was first reported by the South Florida SunSentinel.  He would not say how much each family will receive, but the families of the 14 students and three staff members killed will get the largest shares. Those will be equal.

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.

“This settlement is fair and remarkable given the circumstances,” Brill said. Still, he said, it is “nowhere near enough money to compensate the victims. Indeed, there isn’t enough money in existence to do that.”

The school district declined comment.


Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter, Meadow, died in the shooting, told the SunSentinel the settlement is “painful money.”

“It’s hard to talk about money because your daughter was murdered,” he said. “How could you be happy about it?”

Two school board members who were elected after having family members killed in the shooting did not take part in district discussions of the settlement. Lori Alhadeff lost her 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, and Debbi Hixon lost her husband, athletic director Chris Hixon. Their families will receive payments.

Money will also be paid to 16 of the 17 wounded and 19 people who suffered severe trauma.

The family of one severely wounded student, Anthony Borges, is pursuing their own lawsuit, saying his injuries will require a lifetime of medical treatment that requires a larger payment. He was shot in the lungs, abdomen and legs.

Their attorney, Alex Arreaza, said Borges’ “physical wounds were healing, but the (post-traumatic stress disorder) is manifesting itself more all the time.” He expects a settlement soon.

The other families still have lawsuits pending against the Broward Sheriff’s Office and former Deputy Scot Peterson, the school’s armed resource officer, for his failure to enter the building to confront the shooter. Peterson, who is also facing criminal charges, has said he did not know where the shots were coming from.

They are also suing two security guards who they say didn’t respond when the gunman arrived on campus.

Nikolas Cruz plead guilty Wednesday to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He will face either a death sentence or life in prison without parole.