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.
The settlement also would give the injured and victims’ families a chance to meet with the governor and university officials several times to discuss the mass shootings and changes on campus since then.
Grenier and Fierberg said the settlement “will also result in the release of previously undisclosed facts and information turned up by our firm’s investigation that will enable the public to better understand the events which caused this senseless tragedy.”
By accepting the proposal, family members gave 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.
In October, the families and surviving victims received payments ranging from $11,500 to $208,000 from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, set up in the days after the shootings to handle donations that poured into the school. That fund will remain open for contributions to scholarships for five years.
Families originally were told they had to respond to the state's offer by March 31, but the deadline was extended.
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