MYRTLE BEACH — The parents of a Carolina Forest High School student who was shot to death by an Horry County police officer in 2009 will receive a “significant” amount of money as part of a settlement agreement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against police and school officials, according to Georgetown lawyer Ed Bell, who represents the parents of slain student Trevor Varinecz.
Bell said he cannot yet disclose the amount of the settlement because some aspects of the agreement are still being worked out.
He said the Horry County Police Department, the S.C. Department of Education and the Horry County School District will split a cash payment to the Varinecz family. That money will come from the S.C. Insurance Reserve Fund, a state-run company that provides insurance to governmental entities.
Although police and school officials have agreed to the settlement, they are not admitting any wrongdoing, Bell said.
The settlement agreement has not yet been filed with the federal court in Florence.
News of the settlement comes days after Trevor Verinecz’s parents, Tom and Karen Varinecz, agreed to dismiss Horry County police officer Marcus Rhodes from the lawsuit. Rhodes’ dismissal means he will not be held personally liable for any payment to the Varinecz family.
Read more about this story later today on MyrtleBeachOnline.com and in Wednesday’s edition of The Sun News
Contact DAVID WREN at 626-0281.
