Justice Department Announces Civil Settlement in Cases Arising from 2018 School Shooting in Parkland, Florida

Today, the Department of Justice announced that it has settled the 40 civil cases arising out of the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

This settlement resolves all of the cases for $127.5 million. The settlement does not amount to an admission of fault by the United States. The parties have been in litigation since late 2018, when the survivors of the shooting, and the families of 16 people killed, sued the government for damages.

On Feb. 14, 2018, a former student walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School armed with a rifle and ammunition concealed in a rifle bag, and opened fire with his semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 and injuring 17 more.  In October 2021, the shooter pleaded guilty to 17 counts of premeditated first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder. This was the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history.

This case was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.