Family members of 16 of the 17 victims in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting settled a lawsuit this week over the FBI’s failure to act on tips over the shooter’s plans to attack the school.
The Department of Justice settlement will include nearly $130 million to 40 survivors and family members of the victims, though details have been kept confidential from the public.
“Although the financial details of the agreement are presently confidential, it is an historic settlement and the culmination of the Parkland families’ long and arduous efforts toward truth and accountability,” said Podhurst Orseck, the law firm that represents the families, Law360.com reported.
The Problem
“About five weeks before the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting, an FBI tip line received a call saying a former Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz had bought guns and planned to ‘slip into a school and start shooting the place up,'” Fox News reported.
Parkland school shooting: victim’s families settle lawsuit against US gov’t for FBI’s failure to stop gunmanhttps://t.co/QRBvucCMTQ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 23, 2021
“I know he’s going to explode,” the caller also added, according to the report.
The End of a Long Battle
Although no resolution could ever restore what the Parkland families lost, this settlement marks an important step toward justice,” said Kristina Infante, the lead attorney for the families, in a statement to news outlets, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In addition to the settlement, Nikolas Cruz, the alleged shooter, pleaded guilty to the charges.
“Former student Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty last month to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder for carrying out the deadly shooting. A 12-person jury will determine Cruz’s sentencing,” Axios reported.
The case is important as the FBI admits it could have done more to follow up on tips regarding the shooter to help prevent the tragedy.
In addition, the legal settlement will certainly lead to changes regarding how the FBI handles tips regarding school shooting threats in the future.
The family members who lost loved ones in the Parkland shooting can now move forward, knowing that both the shooter is soon to be sentenced and knowing their lawsuit will bring about changes that could help prevent future tragedies from taking place.
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