Families of Virginia Tech victims reach $11M settlement

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 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.

Kaine called the agreement "very positive" but noted that families that have not agreed to it still could file suit. Notice must be filed by Wednesday.

Student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded two dozen others at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, before committing suicide. Forty families previously filed notice with the state that they may sue.

Cho killed two people in a dormitory and 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.

The gunman had been ruled a danger to himself during a court commitment hearing in 2005 and was ordered to receive outpatient mental-health care but never received treatment.

It was not clear whether the settlement differed from an earlier state proposal. That proposal called for representatives of each of those killed to receive $100,000. A pool of $800,000 was set aside for the injured in the plan, with individuals eligible to receive up to $100,000 apiece. Families of those killed could seek additional money from a $1.75 million hardship fund, and other money was to be set aside for attorneys' fees and a fund for charities.

By accepting the proposal, family members give up the right to sue the state government, the school, the local governments serving Virginia Tech and the community-services board that provides mental-health services in the area.

Once the final agreement is drawn up and signed by families, settlements on behalf of those killed will be submitted for court approval.