Actor Paul Walker’s daughter gets US$10.1 million settlement

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American actor Paul Walker at a 2013 fashion show in Sao Paulo. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:42pm, 9 Apr 2016Updated: 7:42pm, 9 Apr 2016

The 17-year-old daughter of late actor Paul Walker has reached a US$10.1 million settlement with the estate of the man driving the car that crashed and killed them both in 2013, her attorney said on Friday.

Walker was a passenger in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT driven by Roger Rodas when the car, travelling at speeds of 129km/h to 150km/h, careened into trees and a utility pole in Santa Clarita, northwest of Los Angeles. Meadow Walker’s attorney, Jeff Milam, said in a statement that the settlement would go into a trust for the teen.

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The settlement, reached in November 2014, went unnoticed for nearly a year and half because it was filed under “Meadow W.”, according to celebrity news website TMZ, which first reported the story. According to Milam’s statement, Rodas was only partially responsible for the crash, and the settlement covers a “fraction of what her father would have earned as an international movie star had his life not been tragically cut short”.

US actor Paul Walker seen presenting a creation from Colcci's 2013/2014 summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week in 2013. The 17-year-old daughter of the late actor has reached a $10.1 million settlement with the estate of the man behind the wheel of the Porsche at the time of the fatal 2013 crash. Photo: Reuters

Walker’s death at age 40 led to a lull in production of Furious 7, the latest movie in the mega-hit action series about illegal street racing that propelled his career. The 2015 film grossed more than US$1.5 billion worldwide, making it among the highest-earning films of all time. Milam said the actor’s daughter was continuing her safety lawsuit against Porsche AG.