Texas A&M has settled claims against it arising out of the 1999 bonfire collapse that killed 12 people and injured dozens more. A&M agreed to pay $2.1 million to several of the victims and their families to resolve the suit, which will continue against some of the contractors involved. Hats off to Darrell Keith and Geno Borchardt for fighting the lengthy battle despite all the roadblocks involved in suing a governmental entity, and perhaps concluding these claims can help the families find some closure.

I’m amazed at those Aggie fans who express disappointment over the victims and their families bringing suit against the school. That illustrates what I see among many potential jurors in this state, which is a general distrust of others who have been injured and skepticism of others’ damages, but by God, they’d better get full justice if they happen to be the ones who get injured. Just goes to show that nobody likes a lawyer until he or she needs one.