VT settlement

[Spivonious]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24050712

If I were a taxpayer in Virginia, I'd be pretty upset about having to pay out $11 million because some wacko decided to shoot up his school in my state.

How is the state at fault here?

[StukaJU87]

IMO the state is not at fault, but that does not mean the families can not sue anyway. The settlement is probably far less than the cost of defending against all those lawsuits. That is just my guess.

[Joe_Steeler]

$omeone ha$ got to pay for the $uffering of all tho$e familie$.

[Firebird V]

+1 they are not at fault but it has to trickle down to somewhere with $$$$$

[CharvelRocker]

+1 to all that has been said. One guy pulled the trigger, not the state.

[shreddermon]

How is the state at fault here?

Because the school was aware of the shooter having mental health issues, but allegedly did not take adaquate measures to protect their students from him. And the school, in turn, is a creation of the State of Virginia. (It's full name is the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.)

[Spivonious]

The settlement is probably far less than the cost of defending against all those lawsuits.

Sad but true. Even sadder is that the lawyers probably get the majority of the $11 million.

[Spivonious]

Because the school was aware of the shooter having mental health issues, but allegedly did not take adaquate measures to protect their students from him. And the school, in turn, is a creation of the State of Virginia. (It's full name is the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.)

What were they supposed to do? Ban everyone who was ever once suicidal from campus? I'm sure if you polled the average college campus there would be at least a few people who are suicidal.

The school couldn't predict the future, so now everyone touched by the incident are entitled to money? That doesn't make any sense to me. Why not sue the gun store, the gun manufacturer, the ammunition maker, his parents, etc.?

[CharvelRocker]

Because the school was aware of the shooter having mental health issues, but allegedly did not take adaquate measures to protect their students from him. And the school, in turn, is a creation of the State of Virginia. (It's full name is the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.)

Valid point, but how where they to know he bought a gun and was going to shoot up some people? No way. That having been said, they should probably keep track of who owns a gun so they can weed out the nuts. While you can't stop them all, it would probably prevent some problems.

[shreddermon]

The school couldn't predict the future, so now everyone touched by the incident are entitled to money? That doesn't make any sense to me. Why not sue the gun store, the gun manufacturer, the ammunition maker, his parents, etc.?

They might just do that.

I'm not defending the litigation - just explaining to you why the State is the "responsible" party.

Then again, if your son or daughter were one of the victims, might you think about suing, too? Money isn't the only outcome of lawsuits. Procedures change, security can be improved, mental health services and cases can be looked at more closely.

An sometimes a monetary "punishment" is the only way thick-headed people can be forced to improve themselves. Maybe that was a motivation for some of the families involved. i.e., University officials are forced to security etc, in the hopes of reducing their future liability.

And, for all we know, many of those families are donating the money they'll gain from the lawsuits to a similar/good cause. We shouldn't be so quick to judge people who have experienced such suffering, that's all.

[Bengal]

My thoughts have never been popular here but it's how I feel.

I'm sick of the victim mentality. Fuckin' sick of it. Everyone is a victim and someone HAS to pay.

What happened to the thought that sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes shit hits the fan and people get caught in the middle. 30 years ago I don't think people would be so quick to sue.

Remember that Amish schoolhouse that got shot up last year and a bunch of kids got killed? Society could learn a lot about how to act from those Amish people in the wake of that tragedy.

[Jason1212]

I dont think the state should be held liable. But it is sad that when it's said and done the value of each life lost was around $343,000.

[lerxstcat]

Valid point, but how where they to know he bought a gun and was going to shoot up some people? No way. That having been said, they should probably keep track of who owns a gun so they can weed out the nuts. While you can't stop them all, it would probably prevent some problems.

He had at least one counselor who stepped off from him because he scared her so much that SHE didn't want to be the victim when he snapped. She reported her findings to the school, which didn't follow up.

The school also didn't order a lockdown when the first two shootings 0occurred because they didn't want to "panic" anybody. it was 1-1/2 hours later when he shot the other 30 people. If the school had locked down the campus that wouldn't have happened because they'd all have been locked up in their dorms.

As it turned out, the shooter went into town to mail off the DVD to NBC News describing his gripes. so if they'd locked down the campus immediately after the first 2 shootings, he wouldn't have been able to get back into even his own dorm.

So yeah, the university as an agent of the State of Virginia could have prevented most of the killings if it wasn't worried about being embarrassed.

That provides a pretty good case to anyone suing for wrongful death due to negligence, so the selltement is a good alternative.

[LouSiffer]

I still say: How the fuck do 30 people let themselves get killed without anyone ever deciding to put up fight?!

We can debate theories all day, but, if it comes down to it, and there is no easy way out for me, I am putting up a fight. To hell wilth this cowaring up in a ball and going out like a bitch stuff.

This is proof of the pussification of modern society. -Lou

[horns666]

I still say: How the fuck do 30 people let themselves get killed without anyone ever deciding to put up fight?!

We can debate theories all day, but, if it comes down to it, and there is no easy way out for me, I am putting up a fight. To hell wilth this cowaring up in a ball and going out like a bitch stuff.

This is proof of the pussification of modern society. -Lou

Wassup Lou!

confirmed..I seen this so many times with my very own eyes..most people are cowards. They literally freeze in fear like a dear caught in headlights. If people weren't like this. I wouldn't be on this board right now, I'd be working..this is fact!

The lawsuits like this is a matter accountability. It's an expensive way to fix broken shit.