Victims of Rudolph Bombings Receive Meager Restitution

By Merylee Robbins

Published on April 27, 2006

Eric Rudolph was convicted of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta in 1996, the bombing of an Atlanta gay and lesbian club "Otherside Lounge" in 1997, and the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic in 1998. Combined, these blasts injured or killed more than 100 people. Many people injured in the bombings suffered serious burn and shrapnel injuries, requiring costly hospital stays and multiple surgeries.

Despite Rudolph's pricy lawyer fees, which totaled over $4 million dollars, Rudolph's victims have seen little of the $2.3 million dollars he was ordered to distribute among his victims. The most any victim has seen has been a check for $57.95, but many have receive nothing at all. Some say the meager check they did receive was more than they expected. A total of $4,339 was collected from Rudolph's estate which combines $1,700 in cash seized from his trailer and $2,639 raised from the auction of his items in storage, which might explain the lack of funds available to his victims.

Comment on this article →