Parties in the DeBrodie civil suit reached a settlement agreement Tuesday, attorney Rudy Veit said.
The exact terms of the settlement are confidential, said Veit, who represents plaintiff Carolyn Summers - mother of Carl DeBrodie, the Fulton man found dead in a storage unit in April 2017.
"It was enough to take care of Carolyn Summers for the rest of her life," he said Thursday.
The final verbiage of the agreement is still being hammered out and approved, Veit said. He said he expects the settlement to be finalized within two to three weeks.
"We have enough signed documents that it will not fall apart," he said, adding he expects the defendants will not be required to admit fault as part of the settlement's terms.
The settlement includes the Callaway County Public Administrator's office, Callaway County Special Services and Second Chance Homes of Fulton. Second Chance was the supported living home where DeBrodie lived prior to his death at 31.
A representative of the CCPA's legal team declined to comment. Attorneys for other defendants did not respond to requests for comment. Carol Samson, DeBrodie's aunt who acted as Summers' "first friend" in the lawsuit, could not be reached for comment.
Veit said Summers is relieved she won't have to testify in court for the lawsuit.
"It was wearing on her," he said. "You never get into a healing process if it keeps coming up again. It's a relief to her that one, there have been some people held accountable and two, the public awareness is out there."
Veit also said raising public awareness about the importance of monitoring individualized supported living homes such as Second Chance was one of the goals of the civil suit.
"We wanted people to know what can happen in these homes," he said.
Veit declined to disclose the amount of money Summers will be receiving, or what percentage of the total each defendant will pay. However, he did say Summers will be receiving a portion each month, rather than a lump sum.
"You can structure these settlements so they can get money over their lifetime, and that stops anyone from convincing them to part with all their money," Veit explained. "No one's capable of handling large lump sums of money if they've never had it before."
Part of the settlement will be donated to organizations that support people like DeBrodie, he added, specifically mentioning Wonderland Camp, a summer camp for those with disabilities.
Criminal proceedings in the DeBrodie case are ongoing.