US to pay $130 million to resolve claims over 2018 Parkland school shooting

FILE PHOTO: A memorial is viewed by parents and students on campus at a memorial on the one year anniversary of the shooting which claimed 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, U.S., February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has reached a settlement valued at about $130 million with the families of students and faculty who were killed and injured during the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a source familiar with the talks said on Monday.

The settlement, once finalized, would resolve litigation seeking to hold the FBI accountable for its handling of tips involving the teenage shooter.

Justice Department representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The massacre, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, left 17 students and staff members dead.

The accused gunman, former Parkland student Nikolas Cruz, pleaded guilty in a Florida courtroom last month to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Cruz, 23, still faces a possible death sentence.

Cruz was 19 and an expelled student at the time of the mass murder.

“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.

Some survivors of the Parkland shooting formed March for Our Lives, a gun safety organization that advocates for stricter firearm controls, including stronger background checks and a ban on the type of assault-style rifle that Cruz legally purchased and used in the assault.

Parents of Parkland victims alleged in a 2018 lawsuit that FBI tip line employees acted negligently in their handling of tips regarding Cruz’s stated desire to carry out a school shooting and his growing collection of assault-style rifles and ammunition.