Families of Parkland shooting victims reach $25 million settlement with school district

The families of the victims of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., have reached a $25 million settlement with the Broward County school district, an attorney for some of the victims confirmed to The Hill.

The settlement will go to 17 families that filed wrongful death lawsuits, 16 out of the 17 victims who were shot but survived, and a separate 19 victims who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. 

David Brill, who represents the parents of four students who were killed and a fifth student who was injured, said the settlement will go to 52 families and victims of the shooting. The parties are finalizing the settlement.

“There isn’t enough money in existence that would compensate the victims and their families adequately,” Brill said in a statement. “But this settlement provides a measure of justice and accountability to them and the other families and victims.”

The Broward County school district told The Hill that the matter continues to be pending litigation, which it does not comment on.

News of the settlement comes as the alleged gunman, Nikolas Cruz, faces more than 30 charges related to the February 2018 shooting that left students and faculty dead.

Cruz reportedly plans to plead guilty to 17 counts of murder and another 17 counts of attempted murder. He faces the death penalty or life in prison over the killings.

Survivors of the shooting notably became activists for gun control and have lobbied Congress for federal gun laws. Efforts to pass federal gun reform have stalled amid a stalemate in Congress.