Judge OKs $11M Settlement for Va. Tech Families

A Virginia judge yesterday approved an $11 million settlement with 42 families of those killed or injured in last year's Virginia Tech shootings, the Washington Post reports. The families sued after a panel concluded that lives might have been saved if the university contacted students immediately after the first shootings. Instead, 2.5 hours passed before an email warning was sent, just 10 minutes before the second rampage, which claimed 32 lives.

The settlement, which eliminates any further legal action, includes $100,000 and medical expenses for each family. Some families expressed dissatisfaction and called for further investigation into the state and university roles in the April 16, 2007, shootings. "This has nothing to do with money and everything to do with seeking the truth and complete accountability," said one parent of a slain student.   (More school shooting stories.)