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Date: 03-17-2022
Case Style:
Case Number: 18-62758-CIV-DIMITROULEAS
Judge:
Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Miami-Dade County)
Plaintiff's Attorney:
Defendant's Attorney: Paul David Stern
Description: Miami, Florida personal injury lawyers represented Plaintiffs, who sued the United States of American on Federal Tort Claims Act negligence theories claiming to have been damaged, injured and killed as a direct result of the 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.
JOINT STATUS REPORT
The Parties file this Joint Status Report in accordance with the Court’s Order that the
Parties either file the appropriate dismissal papers or show cause why those papers have not been
filed no later than March 16, 2022. ECF No. 489. The Associate Attorney General approved the
global settlement on March 1, 2022. All 40 of the Stipulations for Compromise Settlement and
Release (“Stipulations”) now have been signed on behalf of the United States, and sent to the
United States Department of Treasury for payment.
It is the United States’ position that all of the conditions required for dismissal with
prejudice of the consolidated cases have been met. Plaintiffs, however, are reluctant to dismiss
their cases until all settlement funds have been received. Accordingly, Plaintiffs request a 45-
day extension to allow for the Treasury Department to issue payments.1 As stated above, the
position of the United States is that these cases are now ripe for dismissal, but the United States
does not oppose Plaintiffs’ request for an extension. Under Plaintiffs’ proposal, Plaintiffs will
dismiss their cases with prejudice upon receipt of the settlement proceeds, requesting that the
Court retain jurisdiction solely to adjudicate the pending motion for common benefit fees [D.E.
1 To date, the Department of Treasury has already issued payments in one of the cases,
and the rest remain in process.
Case 0:18-cv-62758-WPD Document 512 Entered on FLSD Docket 03/16/2022 Page 1 of 4
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418], the joinder thereto [D.E. 420], any pending related motions [D.E. 455, 459], and any
motions relating to the common benefit fees motion which may be filed in the future
Outcome: Settled for $127.5 million.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: