Columbine Families Agree to Settlement

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Columbine Families Agree to Settlement By NICK WADHAMS, Associated Press WriterDENVER -- Families of Columbine High School shooting victims have finalized a settlement of their lawsuits against the gunmen's parents and some of the people who provided guns used in the massacre. About 30 families needed several months to work out details of the $2.85 million settlement, said Jim Cederberg, attorney for the family of Richard Castaldo, who was wounded at Columbine. "It's just taken this long to all get sorted out and the funds to get disbursed," he said. Details were not disclosed. None of the families was told the amount of money the others received, Cederberg said. The families of wounded students Sean Graves, Lance Kirklin and Mark Taylor and the Castaldos filed motions Wednesday to dismiss their lawsuits against the parents of gunman Eric Harris. Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 26 people before taking their own lives on April 20, 1999. Cederberg said more motions would follow for the other plaintiffs and defendants named in the settlement. A judge must sign them before the lawsuits are officially dismissed. Thirty-six families were involved in talks over the original settlement. Some refused to settle, and others have settled with some defendants but not others. Parents Wayne and Kathy Harris and Sue and Tom Klebold, have agreed to pay about $1.6 million total. Mark Manes and Philip Duran, who pleaded guilty to charges of providing a semiautomatic handgun to the gunmen, agreed to pay a combined $1 million. Duran, who worked with Harris and Klebold at a pizza store, introduced them to Manes, who sold them the gun for $500. An additional $300,000 came from the insurance company of Robyn Anderson's family. Anderson legally bought two shotguns and a rifle for Harris and Klebold. The lawsuits alleged the parents were negligent by allowing their sons to amass the weapons used in the rampage. Families are still pursuing lawsuits against three men who worked for a gun show where Anderson helped Harris and Klebold buy the three weapons. The families also have sued the sheriff's department and Jefferson County Public Schools, alleging they ignored warnings of the attack and mishandled the rescue. Officials with those agencies have denied the allegations. For information about reprinting this article, go to http://www.lats.com/rights/register.htm