Kentucky school shooter settles with victims' families for $42 million

Insurance coverage for murder?

In the civil lawsuit against him, Carneal conceded liability and damages, which made a jury trial unnecessary. The victims' families decided to accept the $42 million judgment Thursday, and their attorney said he is confident they will collect the money.

The lobby of Heath High School, where the shooting occurred

Carneal's parents had a homeowner's policy with Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance which covered their son for up to $1 million in liability. Breen told CNN that the company has never denied coverage but has refused to pay so far.

Breen claims that under Kentucky law the insurance company handled the claim in "bad faith," which means they will now be responsible for the entire $42 million judgment. A lawsuit is now pending against the insurance company.

However, Michael Risley, the insurance company's attorney, told CNN the company has no intention of paying the judgment. Risley said because the shooting was intentional, it is not covered by the Carneals' policy.

Breen claims that since Carneal randomly shot into the crowd there was no "intent" as defined by insurance law.

Last month, a judge dismissed Carneal's parents as co-defendants in the case, but that decision is under appeal. Breen said the girls' families will continue to pursue his parents because the parents should have known their son needed more supervision.

Warning to other parents

In another civil action, the parents of the dead girls also sued five of Carneal's classmates, who they alleged were involved in a conspiracy to take over the school. That action was dismissed, and the parents have appealed, Breen said.

"One of the messages of this $42 million judgment is that parents had better be paying attention to what's going on in their household. While not everyone goes out and commits murder, there are a lot of kids doing the same things as Michael Carneal, and parents better be paying attention or they may have to answer for it in a court of law," Breen said.

An attorney for Carneal's parents had no comment on the settlement but said the civil suit was the last legal action pending against the boy.

Carneal's attorney was not available for comment.