A federal appeals court this week sided with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in a dispute with an insurance company about covering costs stemming from 60 lawsuits filed after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The dispute involved what is known as an “excess” insurance policy that the sheriff’s office had with Evanston Insurance Co. The policy’s coverage would kick in after the sheriff’s office paid the first $500,000 in costs related to an “occurrence” and a $500,000 deductible.
Families of victims filed lawsuits against the sheriff’s office after the shooting, arguing, at least in part, that a deputy who was a school-resource officer was negligent. Gunman Nikolas Cruz, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas student, murdered 17 students and faculty members and injured numerous others in the incident.
BSO sued the insurer over how to consider the Parkland massacre
In 2022, the sheriff’s office filed a lawsuit against Evanston Insurance as it sought payment under the policy…