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The Broward County School District in Florida agreed to two settlements and will pay more than $26 million to families and survivors of the 2018 parkland massacre.
On Valentine's Day in 2018, Nikolas Cruz started a shooting rampage and killed 17 people and injured several more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland on the state's east coast.
On Tuesday, board members approved two legal settlements. One payout is to be split between the families of the 17 killed, people who suffered from injuries, and others who suffer from ongoing trauma. The other is an individual payout to Andy Borges who was severely injured.
Borges' received a settlement of a $1.25 million lump-sum payout for his injuries in the shooting.
His lawyer decided to break off from the larger settlement because of the severity of Borges' injuries which were some of the most severe out of those who were hurt. He will require a lifetime of expensive medical care because of it, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
A total of 51 people, including families of the 17 who died in the shooting, as well as staff members and students who were injured during the ordeal, were awarded a total of $25 million in the second settlement. They will receive the payout in a three-part installment plan.
Families of the deceased will receive about $1 million each. The 16 people who were injured will receive anywhere from $345,000 to about $777,000 depending on the severity of their injuries. The 19 others who reported suffering from trauma will receive $22,800 each.
"While we recognize no amount of money can make these families whole, it is the school board's hope that this settlement will show our heartfelt commitment to the MSD families, students, staff, faculty and to the entire Broward County community," said Marylin Batista, the board's interim general counsel.
Last month, attorneys for 16 of the 17 people killed and some of those wounded said they had reached a monetary settlement with the federal government over the FBI's failure to investigate a tip it received about a month before the massacre.
The attorneys at the time said the federal settlement's details were confidential, but a person familiar with the deal said the government will pay the families $127.5 million overall. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the amount.
Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to the murders and awaits a sentence of death or life in prison early next year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
