The families and survivors of the Orlando Pulse shooting are beginning to receive millions of dollars from the OneOrlando Fund—made to compensate those affected by the tragic event.
The fund started to disburse payments from the $29 million it raised to 299 people on Monday, reports Latina. $350,000 will be awarded to those families who lost a loved one; yet about half of those who passed have family members and partners fighting for the money.
But funds will not be handed out to those at odds until these disputes are settled, according to Alex Martin, chair of the OneOrlando board and president of the Orlando Magic team. And if these quarrels aren’t settled rapidly, a probate court will determine who gets what. “We do have a number of disputes amongst families of the dead,” Martin said. “It’s parents in dispute with a partner, who perhaps they didn’t know, or it’s estranged parents, claiming each one of them should receive the funds.”
A total of 37 Pulse victims who were hospitalized will receive something between $60,000 and $300,000, depending on how they were under medical care. Those who suffered injuries, but were not hospitalized will receive $35,000. Lastly, a total of 182 club goers who were present but were not hurt will receive $25,000 each for mental health care.
“We significantly increased the amount of money going to those that were in the club, but not injured,” Martins continued. “We had a long discussion about the psychological events that many of those individuals are suffering.”
An audit of OneOrlando Fund has not yet been conducted, which has some worried, like Jillian Amador, who was able to flee the scene but saw her friend pass away. “If there are any problems with the distribution or any problems with the way the money is handed out, there is going to be no recourse to get it back,” said Amador’s attorney and employer, Paul Zeniewicz.
Martins said OneOrlando will still be distributing the money.