Let's call settlements what they are: Bribes. Sometimes a bribe can bring justice, but in cases like this where they've created a systemic problem, the knock-on effects are too large for a bribe to ever be true justice. Thats why people need to go to jail.
Settlements go to the plaintiffs, not the authorities. Plaintiffs have to agree to the settlement offer.
The plaintiffs could have gone to trial over this matter. They chose not to because fundamentally they must have perceived that the guaranteed settlement money was better than the risk that they walk away empty-handed. If the case was a slam dunk, the settlement would have been higher or they would have just gone to trial.
The value to the defendant in this case to not admit responsibility or wrongdoing is of higher value to the company than it is to the plaintiffs. The settlement money could always end up being higher than the plaintiffs would get out of trial so they can avoid this. The end result - those with the resources/lawyers to become plaintiffs get their money, the companies get to keep doing what they want, and justice isn't actually done.
