Virginia Supreme Court declines to reconsider Virginia Tech ruling News
Virginia Supreme Court declines to reconsider Virginia Tech ruling
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[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Virginia [official website] on Tuesday declined to reconsider the court’s 2013 overturning [WP report] of a wrongful death verdict against the commonwealth stemming from the 2007 shooting [Report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel; PDF] at Virginia Tech [official website]. The attorney for two of the victims Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde [WP report] informed the Associated Press that he received [AP report] the court’s order Tuesday. The Virginia Tech shooting left 33 people dead and wounded 25 in the deadliest school shooting in US history.

In October the Supreme Court of Virginia overturned [JURIST report] a wrongful death jury award against Virginia Tech in favor of the estates of Peterson and Pryde. In 2009 the parents of Pryde and Peterson [Virginia Tech profiles], who were shot and killed by fellow student Seung-Hoi Cho [BBC profile], filed suit against the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Tech, the University’s Cook Counseling Center [official website], top university officials, and local counseling center New River Valley Community Services [website] for negligence resulting in the death of the two victims.In June 2008, a Virginia judge approved [JURIST report] an $11 million settlement with the families of 24 people who had been killed in the shooting. The settlement awarded each family $100,000 plus medical expenses and provides for meetings with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and university and police officials. The Pryde and Peterson families did not participate in the settlement agreement.