The aftermath of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has seen significant legal developments as the families of the victims seek justice. Recently, multi-million dollar settlements were reached with Nikolas Cruz, the shooter responsible for the massacre on February 14, 2018, in which 17 individuals lost their lives and many others were injured. As reported by the Associated Press, the families of three students murdered in the mass shooting—Luke Hoyer, 15; Alaina Petty, 14; and Meadow Pollack, 18—each secured $50 million settlements. Additionally, Maddy Wilford, who survived the shooting, was awarded $40 million.

Although David Brill, the attorney representing these families, acknowledges that it is very unlikely they will receive a significant amount of money. He stated, “The chief rationale for the judgment amounts is simply that, in the event the killer ever comes into possession of money, we could execute on the judgments and obtain it, thus preventing him from buying any creature comforts.”

Nikolas Cruz, now 25, is serving 34 consecutive life sentences following his 2021 guilty plea to multiple charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who sentenced Cruz, ordered that any money in his prison commissary account be redirected to cover victim restitution and associated legal costs. This legal provision is crucial in ensuring that Cruz’s criminal actions do not lead to financial gain.

Earlier this year, Cruz also agreed to transfer the rights to his name and likeness to Anthony Borges, a former student who was critically injured in the shooting.

Transferring the rights to one's name and likeness means legally assigning control over how one's name, image, or other personal attributes are used to another party. This transfer grants the receiving party the authority to exploit these elements for commercial purposes, such as advertising, merchandise, or media appearances.

The legal efforts of the victims' families extend beyond Cruz. They previously reached settlements with the Broward County school district and the FBI for their failures that contributed to the shooting. However, a lawsuit against former Broward Sheriff's Deputy Scot Peterson and his office, accused of negligence in responding to the shooting, is still pending with no trial date set. In the aftermath, Peterson was suspended and later terminated from his position although he was acquitted of criminal charges last year. The lawsuit seeks to address allegations of his failure to act during the crisis.