Billings Settles Lawsuit Over Chase, Fatal Crash

The family of a Billings, Mont. nurse who was killed by a drunken driver while he was fleeing police has settled its wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Yellowstone County for $400,000.

Billings attorney Chris Edwards says the settlement with the family of Lillian Stahl was reached Friday. The Billings Gazette reports the city and county will each give the family $200,000.

The lawsuit, filed by Lillian’s brother, Arnie Stahl, argued that police officers and sheriff’s deputies violated their own pursuit policies in chasing Brian Houston after an off-duty officer saw him hit a garbage can and a pickup truck.

Houston is serving a 20-year prison term for negligent vehicular homicide for the April 2008 crash.

City and county officials said neither admitted liability in the settlements.