A judge on Tuesday approved an US$11 million state settlement with families of most of the victims in last year’s Virginia Tech slayings that will avoid a court battle over whether anyone but the gunman was to blame.
Families of 24 victims — out of 32 killed by Seung-Hui Cho — will be compensated under the settlement approved by Circuit Court Judge Theodore Markow.
Four families agreed to the settlement, but were not prepared to go before the judge on Tuesday. Four other families did not participate: Two have filed notices of lawsuits, and two did not file claims.
The settlement also covers 18 people injured, but their cases did not require court approval.
“The amount the families are receiving does nothing to offset or reduce the pain that they will forever suffer,” said Douglas Fierberg, an attorney representing many of the families.
Peter Grenier, another family attorney, called the settlement “the most acceptable and most reasonable outcome we could expect” considering Virginia’s US$100,000 limit on liability in such cases.
Grenier praised the state for giving victims’ attorneys unfettered access to a wide array of investigative reports and other documents related to the shootings. Some showed critical failures on behalf of the university, he said.
Cho killed two students in a dormitory on April 16 last year, then more than two hours later killed 25 students and five faculty members in a classroom building before taking his own life. Another two dozen were injured.
University officials have been criticized for the delay in informing students and employees about the first shootings, which police initially thought were an act of domestic violence.
By accepting the proposal, family members gave up the right to sue the state government, the university, the local governments serving Virginia Tech and the community services board that provides mental-health services.
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