Families
of Newtown massacre victims in $1.5 million settlement
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[August 04, 2015]
By Richard Weizel
MILFORD, Conn. (Reuters) - The families of
14 people killed in the 2012 massacre at Connecticut's Sandy Hook
Elementary School, and two survivors reached a $1.5 million legal
settlement on Monday against the gunman's mother's estate, according to
court records.
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The families of victims and two school employees who survived the
attack will each receive a $93,750 share of an insurance policy on
the Newtown, Connecticut, home where Nancy Lanza lived with her son,
gunman Adam Lanza, according to filings at a Bethel, Connecticut,
probate court.
The 20-year-old gunman began his rampage on Dec. 14, 2012, by
shooting and killing his mother with a Bushmaster AR-15 assault
rifle before driving to his former elementary school, where he
gunned down 20 first-graders and six educators. He killed himself as
police arrived.
A probate court clerk said Monday the settlement must still be
approved by Probate Court Judge Joseph Egan.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Aug/04/images/ads/current/elkhart_grain_daily_sda_022614.png) The claims were made in two separate lawsuits filed against Nancy
Lanza's estate. Newtown obtained possession of her home and tore it
down this year, leaving it as open space for the near future, town
officials said.
Attorney Samuel Starks, the estate's administrator, declined to
comment on Monday.
Attorney Joshua Koskoff, who represents some of the plaintiffs, also
declined to comment.
Earlier this year he said any monetary award or settlement "serves
as an important reminder that people who keep firearms in the home
must be scrupulous about securing their weapons."
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The lawsuits claim that Nancy Lanza obtained the Bushmaster and kept
it in her home, where her son had access to it despite a history of
mental health problems.
State police reports indicate the gun was stored in a gun safe that
was in a room adjacent to Adam Lanza's bedroom, and that he had
"unlimited access to it."
The lawsuits contend Nancy Lanza "knew or should have known that
(her son's) mental and emotional condition made him a danger to
others." One of the lawsuits stated that while the assault weapon
used by Lanza was legally sold in Connecticut, the weapon should not
have been available to him.
(Editing by Scott Malone and Doina Chiacu)
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