Parkland victims’ families to get $25M

Lawyers drafting settlement with Florida school district after 3½-year battle

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The families of 52 people killed, injured or traumatized in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., have reached a $25 million settlement with the Broward School District, the lawyer for the families confirmed Monday.

While the terms have been reached, the settlement agreement is still being drafted, said attorney David Brill. The largest payments will go to the 17 families whose children or spouses were killed, and they will each receive an equal amount. Brill would not provide further detail on amounts or how the money will be divided.

The settlement could end a 3½-year battle between the school district and family members of victims, who alleged the school district’s negligence contributed to a troubled former student walking onto the campus on Valentine’s Day 2018 and killing 17 people and injuring 17 others.

“It’s a fair and frankly remarkable result,” Brill said. “It gives the families a measure of justice and accountability.”

The office of Kathy Koch, chief communications officer for the Broward School District, acknowledged a request for comment. “A member of our staff will follow up with you as soon as possible.”

Brill said the parties have worked out an arrangement that will enable the families to collect without having to wait for approval from the Florida Legislature, which is the normal process for a government settlement over $300,000. He declined to provide specifics.

The settlement is “painful money” that provides little solace, said Andrew Pollack, who became a fierce critic of the school district after his daughter Meadow was killed.

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

The plaintiffs include two current members of the Broward School Board: Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa was killed, and Debbi Hixon, who lost her husband Chris, a coach and security monitor at Stoneman Douglas. Hixon declined to comment, while Alhadeff couldn’t be immediately reached.

The School Board has been discussing the case in closed sessions for more than two years, although Alhadeff and Hixon were not part of the discussions.

In addition to the families of those who died, payouts will go to 16 of 17 who were injured as well as 19 who suffered severe trauma, Brill said.

One victim not included in the settlement is Anthony Borges, a student who was one of the most severely injured. Bullets ripped into his lung, abdomen and legs.

“There was a concern by the rest of the families that Borges was just demanding more than the fair share,” and it was jeopardizing the settlement, Brill said.

Borges’ lawyer Alex Arreaza split off from the larger suit, citing a need for lifelong care that is expected for his client. He said it’s an “emotional argument,” not a legal one to say those whose loved ones died are entitled to more money.

“The other parents will always say at least your child is alive,” he said. “Out of all the 34 people [killed or injured], my client is the one that has the biggest doctor’s bill.”

Arreaza said he expects a settlement in his case within the next few days.

The families still have open litigation against two former school district employees, security monitors Andrew Medina and David Taylor, who they accuse of failing to respond once they were aware killer Nikolas Cruz was on campus.

They are also suing the Broward County sheriff’s office and Scot Peterson, a school resource officer who didn’t enter the building during the shooting. Those cases are still pending.

The announcement comes three days after lawyers for Cruz announced he would plead guilty to the murders, avoiding the need for a trial. A jury is still expected to decide whether he should receive the death penalty or life in prison.