Thursday, May 28, 2015
newsmakers
Tracy Morgan settles suit with Wal-Mart
NEWARK, N.J.
Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan has settled his lawsuit against Wal-Mart over a highway crash that killed one man and left Morgan and two friends seriously injured.
A filing in federal court in Newark on Wednesday refers to a confidential settlement reached by the two sides.
Morgan’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday.
Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. called it an “amicable settlement.” Details weren’t disclosed.
A Wal-Mart truck slammed into the back of a limo van carrying Morgan and the others back from a show in Delaware last June. Comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair was killed. Morgan suffered head trauma, a broken leg and broken ribs.
Wal-Mart reached a settlement with McNair’s two children in January. McNair, of Peekskill, N.Y., grew up with Morgan in New York City and was a friend and mentor to him over the years.
Wal-Mart had said earlier this year it was working toward settlements with the victims of the crash.
The truck driver, Kevin Roper, of Jonesboro, Ga., faces several criminal charges, including death by auto, in state court. He has pleaded not guilty. He wasn’t a defendant in Morgan’s federal lawsuit.
Associated Press