A multi-million dollar settlement has been reached between the federal government and the families of most of those who were killed and wounded in the 2018 Florida high school massacre.
The Department of Justice has agreed to pay the families between $125 million and $130 million, according to CBS Miami. However, the attorneys said details of the settlement are confidential.
"It has been an honor to represent the Parkland families who, through their immeasurable grief, have devoted themselves to making the world a safer place," Kristina Infante, the lead attorney for the case, said in a statement. "Although no resolution could ever restore what the Parkland families lost, this settlement marks an important step toward justice."
The settlement comes after a lawsuit accused the FBI of failing to stop the gunman even though it had received a tip that he was planning the attack, which claimed the lives of 17, about a month before it happened.
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Now, attorneys for 16 of the 17 killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and some of those wounded have come to the monetary settlement with the government. The 17th family chose not to sue.
Andrew Pollack's 18-year-old daughter was killed in the shooting, and he commended the FBI for taking responsibility for its inaction, CBS News reported.
"The FBI has made changes to make sure this never happens again," Pollack said.
However, Pollack shared that he believes the Broward County school district and sheriff's office, the school security staff, and the psychologists who treated the shooter have ducked their responsibility for failing to stop the shooter.
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While the victims' families will receive money from the settlement, they shared that it will not replace their daughters and sons.
Tony Montalto's 14-year-old daughter Gina was murdered, and he shared with CBS News that no settlement will "replace my bright, bubbly and beautiful daughter."
Montalto added that while other families gather for Thanksgiving, his daughter's chair will remain empty.
Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland shooter, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder last month. A penalty trial is scheduled to start in January, and Cruz, 23, will receive a death sentence or life in prison.
