US must pay $145 million as part of formal "negligence" settlement

The US Department of Justice has agreed to shell out $144.5 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the government failed to share background information about a former Air Force serviceman who later killed 26 people in a shooting spree. More than 75 plaintiffs joined the lawsuit, which alleged that the US Air Force could have prevented the rampage had it transmitted the gunman’s criminal history into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The DOJ acknowledged that Kelley would have been unable to purchase guns from a federally licensed dealer if his name had been in the system, after a federal judge ruled that the government was “liable for damages caused by the shooting.” The DOJ previously attempted to appeal the liability ruling, but at the time noted that the parties on the case were working toward a resolution out of court. The DOJ previously attempted to appeal the liability ruling, but at the time noted that the parties on the case were working toward a resolution out of court.