Families of VT shooting want money

[Hey Zeus!]

Thomas J. Fadoul Jr., a Vienna lawyer who says he represents the relatives of 22 slain students, said the fund should be modeled after the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which Congress created in 2001 to distribute more than $7 billion to victims of the terrorist attacks and their relatives.

Fadoul said he is not sure how large the Virginia Tech fund would need to be. But he said the relatives of the 32 slain students and faculty members are entitled to "at least what the 9/11 people got."

The families of those killed Sept. 11, 2001, collected awards averaging $2 million. Payouts for the injured averaged almost $400,000.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071701875.html?nav=rss_email/components

I understand that they have medical/psychiatric bills and probably lost some income and things like that, but wouldn't they have to show that the University or the State was somehow negligent or something?

[Bytown]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071701875.html?nav=rss_email/components

I understand that they have medical/psychiatric bills and probably lost some income and things like that, but wouldn't they have to show that the University or the State was somehow negligent or something?

There is no doubt the university was at fault.When the first shooting did happen they should have warned everyone then.This is a slam dunk.

[Nikita]

I fully expected this would happen, no big surprise.

[ShadowVlican]

I fully expected this would happen, no big surprise.
it's the US of A... of course :lol:

[Feneant]

Do people in the US just sit around and hope for one of their family members to die to get money out of it? It's like the big american dream now, people sit around waiting for a chance to sue or get free money.

[Wildfire]

Do people in the US just sit around and hope for one of their family members to die to get money out of it? It's like the big american dream now, people sit around waiting for a chance to sue or get free money.

pretty much....

Fadoul said the money for the fund could come from taxpayer contributions
Sigh, in the end, as expected, it'll just be the other citizens who end up footing the bill.

[ricoboxing]

Shouldve hired this guy.
http://www.lawandstyle.ca/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/kopyto.jpg

[mlc2000]

or Jackie Chiles

http://www.geocities.com/seinfeld_soundbites/jackie3.jpg

[Lone_Prodigy]

Do people in the US just sit around and hope for one of their family members to die to get money out of it? It's like the big american dream now, people sit around waiting for a chance to sue or get free money.

The sad part is, you're totally right.

[ricoboxing]

It's like the big american dream now, people sit around waiting for a chance to sue or get free money.

they don't sit around waiting, they go out and look for opportunities to sue or get free money!

[Nikita]

Everybody talks about suing like it's a bad thing. All it is is the right to have an objective forum resolve differences between people. Which is better than having people fighting it out in a less civil manner. Hell, soooo many countries only wish they had that right, I consider us lucky to live in a country where disputes are settled through a system with rules and an un-interested or un-invested party makes the decision based on the evidence of both sides. And it makes no difference whether the defendant is a government agency or a private person/company.

The real problem is the absolutely ridiculous amounts of money awarded in so many U.S. judgments. I believe but for some of these outrageous decisions, made by individual judges or by juries is what makes people so jaded about the system itself.

When one party is harmed by another party costs are necessarily incurred, whether medical bill, loss of future opportunities etc., the question becomes who should be responsible for those costs...the victim or the party responsible for the harm that was done? If the injuring party was negligent, it's perfectly acceptable that they should be the one responsible for costs that otherwise would not have arisen.

[konfusion666]

Everybody talks about suing like it's a bad thing.

They get jealous when they hear about people suing and winning - jealous because they wish they had been able to get the "free money" that they consider the lawsuit (any lawsuit) to be.

Ship em all off to a Police State where suing/lawsuits are illegal, and all dissent is quashed by jackbooted thugs, see how they like 'em apples over there...

[Flyer]

As one of the male Simpsons put it...
"Well sir, I stand in front of cars and sue the drivers"