cuchulainn
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from the Rocky Mountain News
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/columbine/article/0,1299,DRMN_106_2178629,00.html
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/columbine/article/0,1299,DRMN_106_2178629,00.html
Parents of Klebold, Harris settle suits
Agreements, not yet disclosed, are with 5 of victims' families
By Karen Abbott, Rocky Mountain News
August 13, 2003
The parents of Columbine gunmen Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris have settled with the holdout families of five slain students who sued them after the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.
Thomas and Susan Klebold reached an agreement last week with the five families and filed settlement paperwork Tuesday in Denver U.S. District Court, said their attorney, Gary Lozow.
The Klebold parents plan to issue a statement soon about the settlement, Lozow said.
Wayne and Katherine Harris reached an agreement Tuesday during an all-day settlement conference before Denver U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Coan, the Rocky Mountain News has learned.
The settlements are with the families of slain Columbine High School students Daniel Rohrbough, Kelly Fleming, Matthew Kechter, Lauren Townsend and Kyle Velasquez.
Nearly all of the Columbine victim families' claims have now been settled or dismissed.
Brian Rohrbough, Daniel's father, had sworn he wouldn't settle until the Klebold and Harris parents answered questions.
"I always said I wouldn't settle with anyone without full accountability. What I know from the Klebolds and the Harrises is they have an awful lot to answer for and neither one is willing to do so," Rohrbough said in October 2001.
The Harris and Klebold parents answered questions behind closed doors during depositions in recent weeks.
Rohrbough and other parties in the lawsuit could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Most families of the dead and injured settled with the Klebold and Harris parents in April 2001. Lozow said the terms of the latest settlements are the same.
That settlement called for the families of 36 Columbine victims to share nearly $1.6 million paid by the companies providing the Harris and Klebold homeowners insurance.
The exact amounts that each family received never have been announced. A retired federal judge calculated the shares, but some families opted not to take theirs.
Families whose children survived with injuries reportedly received more than those whose children died. Money also was set aside to cover any future settlements.
Families of slain children reportedly received a maximum of about $23,000.
Seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris attacked their suburban Jefferson County high school with guns and bombs on April 20, 1999. They killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded more than 20 others before taking their own lives.
The attack spawned more than a score of lawsuits in various courts over various issues, including some filed by news organizations over access to information.
The defendants included school officials, law enforcement officials, gun dealers and three young people who helped the teen gunmen obtain guns.
The lawsuits still outstanding include one filed by the family of slain student Isaiah Shoels.
A federal judge recently ruled that Shoels' family reached a valid settlement with the Harris and Klebold parents and must live up to it.
The Shoels family contends no such settlement was reached and has appealed that ruling.
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