Sandy Hook families reach $1.5 million settlement

(Image credit: Connecticut State Police via Getty Images)

published 24 December 2015

More than three years after the tragic incident, the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims have finalized a settlement with the estate of the shooter's mother. Each family of a person killed in the Dec. 14, 2012 attack will receive a portion of a $1.5 million settlement agreement with the estate of Nancy Lanza, the deceased mother of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza. Adam killed his mother before his rampage through the Connecticut elementary school, where he killed himself after being cornered by police.

The families of 16 victims will be splitting the sum, which The Guardian reports comes from Nancy Lanza's homeowner's insurance policy. Their lawsuits accused the mother of "carelessness and negligence" by asserting she left a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle — which her son used to carry out his attack — "unsecured" in her home "despite the fact that she knew… that [Adam's] mental and emotional condition made him a danger to others." The settlement resolved at least eight lawsuits filed in Connecticut courts by relatives of Sandy Hook victims.

Some families have also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bushmaster, the maker of Lanza's rifle. That case is still pending.