It is so sad to read that Virginia Tech is paying out $11 million following the terrorist attack.  The college did nothing wrong and yet here came relatives of those who were shot, looking for financial handouts.  Their shakedown attorneys knew that they could get fat settlements.  Such cases seldom go to trial because of the expense and the possibility that they might get a confused judge or an addled jury.

 State and Federal legislators across the nation have let us down by allowing unjust shakedown lawsuits.  Killers can be drunk, on drugs and suicidal and yet cities, counties, states, schools and other entities are subject to shakedown predators.

Jerry Hurley
Redding, Calif.

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