Va. Tech reaches settlement with families of slain students

[Write-brained]

$11 million not to sue.

http://online.wSportsJournalists.com/article/SB120785370299905489.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

ROANOKE, Va. -- Most families of victims of the mass shootings at Virginia Tech have agreed to an $11 million state settlement that will compensate families who lost loved ones, pay survivors' medical costs and avoid a court battle over whether anyone besides the gunman was to blame.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Thursday a "substantial majority" of families of victims of the Virginia Tech shootings agreed to the settlement.

Peter Grenier and Douglas Fierberg, who represent 21 families, said the settlement was worth more than $11 million, but neither they nor the governor would discuss its terms until final papers are drawn in a few days.

Messrs. Grenier and Fierberg said seriously injured victims "will be well compensated and have their health care needs taken care of forever," and that families who lost loved ones would be "similarly compensated and cared for."

"We want to make sure the settlement is fiscally responsible for the commonwealth," Mr. Kaine said, "but it's kind of a fair balance of a variety of interests." He called the agreement "very positive," but noted that families who have not agreed to it still could file suit. Notice must be filed by April 16.

Seung-Hui Cho, a mentally disturbed student, killed 32 victims and wounded two dozen others at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, before committing suicide. Twenty-two families had previously filed notice with the state that they may sue.

Mr. Cho killed two people in a dormitory, then killed 30 more than two hours later in a classroom building before taking his own life. University officials have been criticized for waiting about two hours before informing students and employees about the first shootings, which police initially thought were an act of domestic violence.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

Who else could be blamed for that? Holy geez ...

 

[zebracoy]

I'm sorry, but maybe it's just me who thinks that the response, "Hmm...my kid was killed at school, I'll sue the university" is the inappropriate one here.

 

[Steak Snabler]

This is sort of off-topic, but I hate the use of the word "slain" when it comes to people. They're not freakin' dragons, for God's sake ...

 

[Write-brained]

This is sort of off-topic, but I hate the use of the word "slain" when it comes to people. They're not freakin' dragons, for God's sake ...

Tough.

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

That money can go to some serious good use -- gun control, alarm systems, prevention measures at the school. My hope would be that none of those families were simply trying to get rich.
From the profiles of the families I've read (admittedly don't know any of them) that's not what they were going for.
Just another reminder of how vulnerable everyone who's ever been on a college campus truly is.
Again, RIP.

 

[Armchair_QB]

That money can go to some serious good use -- gun control, alarm systems, prevention measures at the school. My hope would be that none of those families were simply trying to get rich.
From the profiles of the families I've read (admittedly don't know any of them) that's not what they were going for.
Just another reminder of how vulnerable everyone who's ever been on a college campus truly is.
Again, RIP.

$11 million divided among 32 families and 24 victims isn't going to make anybody rich after the IRS and the lawyers take their cuts. Each family/victim will wind up with about $60,000 each if they're lucky.

 

[bigpern23]

They might not be trying to get rich, but they basically just put a pricetag on what their kids' lives were worth.

This stuff, along with the fund-raisers for the victims' families really bother me. It's not like raising money for Katrina victims. These people suffered a terrible loss to be sure, but not one that requires them to receive any money.

I have no problem with the university footing the medical bills for the survivors. I could even see it paying funeral costs (although most were probably covered under their parents' life insurance, right?). Anything beyond that is profiting off your kid's death and that's pretty sick.

I hope the $60,000 or whatever each one ends up with is enough salve to mend their broken hearts.

 

[poindexter]

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but the IRS doesn't touch that money.

$11 mil divided by the 24 decedents' 'families' is $458,333 each. Take even half for the attorneys is $230 grand resulting.

I don't understand, except for pure profit, why they sued. It's ugly - very ugly. For shame.

 

[Moderator1]

24?
32 were killed, 19 were wounded.

 

[poindexter]

24?
32 were killed, 19 were wounded.

I read the number from aqb's post.

 

[Moderator1]

I think he meant the 32 killed and others wounded, which I thought was 19 (49 affected). It works out to about 100,000 per family of the deceased. They also got 208,000 earlier from the division of the funds collected by the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.

Why do they need 308,000? Who knows? I'm sure there are a variety of reasons. I can't imagine being in their position. It affected my kids badly so I just can't fathom what it did to them. I'm not about to question it, or their motives. Perhaps that is sticking my head in the sand. I'll live with that. And that isn't a knock on those who are questioning this. It is simply the view from here.

 

[Armchair_QB]

24?
32 were killed, 19 were wounded.

I read the number from aqb's post.

I was working off of the story, which indicated 32 killed, 24 injured, which gives you 56 parties to the settlement.

I divided $11 million by 56, which is $196,000 to each party. I calculated a 30 percent IRS hit and a 40 percent lawyers fees hit, each taken off of the $196,000, which is roughly $138,000. Leaving about $58,000 per party.

 

[poindexter]

There isn't an IRS hit, I believe.

Regardless, people are murdered every day, without compensation. Brutally, savagely. Hell, Virginia Tech isn't even responsible. I just find it odd that Virginia Tech is responsible to the tune of $11 million. For what? What were they guilty of?

 

[PeteyPirate]

There isn't an IRS hit, I believe.

Regardless, people are murdered every day, without compensation. Brutally, savagely. Hell, Virginia Tech isn't even responsible. I just find it odd that Virginia Tech is responsible to the tune of $11 million. For what? What were they guilty of?

They're guilty of nothing, which is exactly why they're putting it down on paper for everyone to sign.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

They're guilty of having the deep pockets to be able to pay. By right, I guess you could say the killer's family should be the one to sue, but they aren't gonna have this kind of jack to pay.

And I'll offer the contrary view in that I was surprised that the amount wasn't much larger. And I say that not in a way where they would be greedily trying to profit from this disaster.

But, to lose a child in a senseless, instantaneous moment like that? A child just beginning to blossom in life--with all the hope and promise in the world ahead of them. I can only begin to fathom the emotional impact that carries. I know if I were to lose a child in that way, I would carry huge emotional scars the remainder of my days.

I'm guessing there are some pretty extensive therapy bills this money could help offset. And even if not, maybe it can serve to do something to make the families happy, to make them smile again. Could use on a charitable endeavor in memoriam, could use it on a new hobby, could use on a trip or vacation or beach house, etc.

Something to help make the pain go away, even if just for a moment, just for an instant. Because smiles and happiness have to be hard to come by for these folks. Forever.

 

[bigpern23]

They're guilty of having the deep pockets to be able to pay. By right, I guess you could say the killer's family should be the one to sue, but they aren't gonna have this kind of jack to pay.

And I'll offer the contrary view in that I was surprised that the amount wasn't much larger. And I say that not in a way where they would be greedily trying to profit from this disaster.

But, to lose a child in a senseless, instantaneous moment like that? A child just beginning to blossom in life--with all the hope and promise in the world ahead of them. I can only begin to fathom the emotional impact that carries. I know if I were to lose a child in that way, I would carry huge emotional scars the remainder of my days.

I'm guessing there are some pretty extensive therapy bills this money could help offset. And even if not, maybe it can serve to do something to make the families happy, to make them smile again. Could use on a charitable endeavor in memoriam, could use it on a new hobby, could use on a trip or vacation or beach house, etc.

Something to help make the pain go away, even if just for a moment, just for an instant. Because smiles and happiness have to be hard to come by for these folks. Forever.

Sorry, I don't buy it. XX thousand dollars to make the pain go away? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of families who lose loved ones every day, but because it didn't happen the campus of a major university with deep pockets, they don't sue.

I'm not trying to minimize their pain. I'm sure it's a horrific and heartwrenching thing to lose a child and I can't fathom how much it must hurt.

But the university had nothing to do with it. The kid's family isn't liable for it either. The only person they could sue turned the gun on himself. This wasn't anyone's fault except one deranged person.

And for them to think the money is going to take their pain away (even if only to make them smile for a moment) is naive at best and sickeningly greedy at worst.

I hope the families who can afford it donate every cent of that money to a worthy cause rather than profiting off their children's death.

 

[Pancamo]

Since VT is a public school, the citizens of the state are paying the $11 million.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

pern--there's a difference in losing a loved one via illness/disease/accident than homicide. At least there is in my view.

Going back the last 30 years, the US has averaged roughly 20,000 homicides a year; about 17,600 if you factor out 'intinates'--where the killer and victim knew each other/had a relationship. That works out to about 48 a day.

And I would guess many of those result in lawsuits. It certainly did for one Orenthal James as I recall, for example.

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but I would think the killer's family can be sued in a case like this. Perhaps one of our esteemed SportsJournalists.com colleagues in the legal profession can weight in on this point.

 

[Small Town Guy]

They're guilty of having the deep pockets to be able to pay. By right, I guess you could say the killer's family should be the one to sue, but they aren't gonna have this kind of jack to pay.

And I'll offer the contrary view in that I was surprised that the amount wasn't much larger. And I say that not in a way where they would be greedily trying to profit from this disaster.

But, to lose a child in a senseless, instantaneous moment like that? A child just beginning to blossom in life--with all the hope and promise in the world ahead of them. I can only begin to fathom the emotional impact that carries. I know if I were to lose a child in that way, I would carry huge emotional scars the remainder of my days.

I'm guessing there are some pretty extensive therapy bills this money could help offset. And even if not, maybe it can serve to do something to make the families happy, to make them smile again. Could use on a charitable endeavor in memoriam, could use it on a new hobby, could use on a trip or vacation or beach house, etc.

Something to help make the pain go away, even if just for a moment, just for an instant. Because smiles and happiness have to be hard to come by for these folks. Forever.

Sorry, I don't buy it. XX thousand dollars to make the pain go away? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of families who lose loved ones every day, but because it didn't happen the campus of a major university with deep pockets, they don't sue.

I'm not trying to minimize their pain. I'm sure it's a horrific and heartwrenching thing to lose a child and I can't fathom how much it must hurt.

But the university had nothing to do with it. The kid's family isn't liable for it either. The only person they could sue turned the gun on himself. This wasn't anyone's fault except one deranged person.

And for them to think the money is going to take their pain away (even if only to make them smile for a moment) is naive at best and sickeningly greedy at worst.

I hope the families who can afford it donate every cent of that money to a worthy cause rather than profiting off their children's death.

Should the 9-11 families have received nothing as well then? The only people to blame were the 19 hijackers and they couldn't get money from them, yet they received millions. I don't know, I go back and forth on caes like this. It's true that there are countless families who lose loved ones and get nothing and I sometimes wonder why some get money. But for the most part, when it's such a massive disaster such as this, I have no problem with the families getting payments.