The family of Mica Miller and her estranged husband, John-Paul Miller, have settled a lawsuit following her suicide in April.
Both parties have agreed to end all legal disputes and called on protesters to drop demonstrations in front of Miller's Market Common church.
However, Mica's family and the pastor are now calling on state lawmakers to implement a coercive control law in her memory.
Attorneys announced the joint initiative following a hearing at the Horry County Porbate Court.
The combined stance means all pending lawsuits between Mica's family, John-Paul, and his Solid Rock Ministries have been addressed through a global settlement but under confidential terms, including Mica's estate, according to WBTW-TV.
"This is over. This global agreement is Mica's justice. The next step is the legislative goal. We only ask that you remember Mica as the wonderful, beautiful person that she was," said Russell Long, an attorney for John-Paul Miller.
The compromise also means that Miller will not face any civil wrongful death claims related to his wife's suicide at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County on April 27.
It was shortly after her death that her sister, Sierra Francis, filed the petition to become special administrator of her estate, but attorneys revealed that the request was withdrawn on Monday.
"I know that some of you are going to be disappointed," said Regina Ward, a Conway-based attorney representing Mica's family.
Ward noted that it could unfortunately take years for litigation of this magnitude to go through a court system.
John-Paul Miller, a senior pastor at Rock Solid Church and founder of its umbrella, Solid Rock Ministries, has continually blamed Mica's family for withholding medication that reportedly kept her mentally stable, whereas the family believes it was his abusive behavior that drove the 30-year-old to suicide.
Since her death protestors have been outside the church every Sunday demanding "Justice for Mica."
Long expects Monday's settlement to put an end to the demonstrations.
"The Francis family just asked them, through their attorney, to focus their energy on something else. She asked them to focus their energy toward the passing of this coercive control act," he said.
A South Carolina lawmaker filed a bill four years ago that would criminalize "coercive control," with punishments of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
But efforts to adopt the law have stalled in both chambers of the General Assembly.
Several states, including California, Connecticut, and Hawaii, have adopted "coercive control" laws. Meanwhile, similar efforts are pending in Florida, Maryland, New York, and Washington.
