Parkland School Shooting Victims Reach $127 Million Settlement With The DOJ

The U.S. Justice Department announced that it has settled 40 lawsuits stemming from the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead and 17 others injured.

The surviving victims and the families of those who lost their lives filed multiple lawsuits against the federal government, alleging that the FBI failed to prevent the shooting despite receiving a tip that the gunman was planning an attack at the school and had been stockpiling weapons and ammunition. The tipline employees never forwarded the information to the FBI's field office in Florida, and nobody followed up to check on the teen, who had a lengthy history with law enforcement.

The Justice Department said it will pay $127.5 million to settle the lawsuits but noted that "the settlement does not amount to an admission of fault by the United States."

In October 2021, the shooter pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. The penalty phase of the trial is scheduled to begin in April. The shooter is facing either the death penalty or life in prison.