The amount of money requested won't be granted, and is typically significantly reduced on appeal. Yet this case stands out as a special case of tragedy. In the gun happy state of TX grown men with weapons stood around while kids were mowed down. As a result of this kind of cowardess, stupidity, and inability to perform under pressure I hold out special need for the civil criminal penalties in this case to bite and bite hard.
FYI I'm pretty sure large losses claimed in initial filings are a standard way of demonstrating to the court that a matter is weighty enough to occupy the court's time.
Large claims also have a role in bringing attention to the plaintiff's complaints.
The $27B figure doesn't dictate how much money could eventually be awarded or - indeed - whether the suit will be successful at all.
Other posters arguing for tort reform based off've this headline should have another think.
They're certainly owed something for the horrendous lack of effective response by the police agencies. But .. $27 billion? Even in aggregate it's highly unlikely the agencies are insured to that level. They'll never collect, and the only winners in this will be the attorneys.
Alex Jones was to pay almost 1B for saying some stupid mean stuff about kids that died, seem reasonable for people who actively contributed to kids dying this way should pay many multiples more.
Readit News
Large claims also have a role in bringing attention to the plaintiff's complaints.
The $27B figure doesn't dictate how much money could eventually be awarded or - indeed - whether the suit will be successful at all.
Other posters arguing for tort reform based off've this headline should have another think.