The family of a Texas teen who killed four people while driving drunk about a year ago has reached a settlement with two of the families of the victims who sued for compensation, lawyers said on Wednesday, according to NBC News.
The case set off an emotional debate after the Ethan Couch was sentenced to probation for the deaths, with a psychologist for the defense saying the youth suffered from "affluenza," a condition where enormous wealth blinded the youth from the responsibilities resulting from his actions, NBC News reported.
The American Psychiatric Association does not recognize "affluenza" as a diagnosis, according to NBC News.
The settlement amounts were not disclosed and the teen's family is still facing civil lawsuits from the family of another man killed in the incident and two others injured in the crash, NBC News reported.
Todd Clement, a lawyer representing two of the people killed, Hollie Boyles and her daughter, Shelby, said a settlement had been reached, but gave no further comment, according to NBC. Rory Dukes, a lawyer representing the family of Breanna Mitchell, said his case had been resolved, without offering further comment.
The court found that the Couch hit and killed four people with his pickup truck, NBC News reported. The victims were Mitchell, whose car broke down on a rural road near Fort Worth; Hollie and Shelby Boyles, who lived nearby and came out to help; and youth minister Brian Jennings, who stopped to help the stranded motorist.
All four were killed and two people riding in the Couch's pickup truck were severely injured in the crash with one of them left paralyzed, according to NBC News.
At the time of the incident, Couch's blood alcohol count was three times the legal limit for an adult, prosecutors said, NBC News reported.
In December, juvenile court Judge Jean Boyd sentenced the then-16-year-old to 10 years' probation and ordered him to get therapy, a decision that led to a backlash among those who thought the family had used its wealth to keep the teen out of jail, according to NBC News.
