Judge Approves $11M Deal in Virginia Tech Shootings

A judge has approved an $11 million state settlement for the families of the majority of the victims in the deadly 2007 Virginia Tech shootings which killed 32. The settlement avoids a court battle to decide if Seung-Hui Cho acted alone or not.

All but eight families of the 32 killed will be compensated as a result of the settlement that was approved on Tuesday. As for the remaining families, four agreed to the deal, but were not prepared to go in front of the judge on Tuesday, while four other families did not take part. A pair of families filed notices of lawsuits, while two did not. Eighteen people who were injured in the massacre are also covered under the settlement, however their cases did not need court approval.

The state of Virginia has a $100,000 limit on liability in such cases. By agreeing to the proposal, family members cannot sue the state government, the university, area governments that serve Virginia Tech and the community services board that offers mental-health services locally.

Cho killed a male and female in the early morning hours of April 16, 2007 in a dorm room, then killed 25 students and five faculty members in a science building across campus before turning the gun on himself. It was the nation's deadliest school shooting ever.