FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The families of those killed, wounded and scarred in the 2018 high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, have reached a $25 million settlement with the district.
More than 50 families of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland will split the money from Broward County Public Schools.
The families of the 17 slain will receive the largest shares. Sixteen of the 17 wounded and 19 people who suffered severe emotional distress will also receive payments.
The families' attorney called the settlement “fair and remarkable.” The school district had no immediate comment.
The settlement comes after the district won a state Supreme Court ruling that could have capped its damages at $300,000 without approval from the state legislature.
Attorneys for the accused shooter, Nikolas Cruz, announced last week that he will plead guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.
The guilty plea would set up a penalty phase where the 23-year-old Cruz would be fighting against the death penalty and hoping for life without parole.
A jury will decide whether Cruz will get the death penalty.
The judge hopes that the trial will start in January.
The news brings some closure to a South Florida community more than three years after an attack that sparked a nationwide movement for gun control.
