Families Of Parkland Shooting Victims Reach Multimillion-Dollar Settlements

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Families of three students who were tragically murdered at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, have reached significant settlements with the shooter, although the collection of these funds remains uncertain.

Court documents reveal that the parents of Luke Hoyer, 15, Alaina Petty, 14, and Meadow Pollack, 18, each reached settlements of $50 million with the gunman. Additionally, Maddy Wilford, a former MSD student who was wounded during the massacre on February 14, 2018, settled for $40 million.

Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the heinous act, is currently serving 34 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty in October 2021 to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Cruz took the lives of 14 students and three school staff members.

Survivor Maddy Wilford settles for $40 million.

Victims' families settle for $50 million each with shooter.

Shooter serving life sentences without parole.

It is uncertain whether the victims' families will be able to recover any money, as the shooter was named as the beneficiary in at least one insurance policy from his adoptive mother, estimated to be worth $430,000.

David Brill, the attorney representing the victims' families and Wilford, explained that the settlements were primarily aimed at preventing the shooter from benefiting financially in the future. The judgment amounts serve as a means to obtain any money that the killer may come into possession of.

In a separate development, a survivor secured the rights to the gunman's name for potential use in movies, shows, or other media, as per a settlement agreement reached in June. Cruz is prohibited from giving interviews without the explicit written consent of survivor Anthony Borges.

The settlement agreement also mandates that the shooter must donate his brain for scientific research in an effort to contribute to preventing similar tragic events from occurring in the future.

During the November 2022 sentencing, Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer ensured that the shooter would not be able to profit in any way from his crimes. Scherer took steps to garnish Cruz's commissary funds until all costs and restitution are fully paid.