Meadow Walker, the 17-year-old daughter of the late Paul Walker, through her attorney, Jeff Milam, has reached a settlement with the estate of Roger Rodas amounting to $10.1 million over the death of her father. The settlement was actually reached in November 2014, one year after Walker’s death, but went unnoticed over the next 17 months, likely due to it being filed under “Meadow W.”

According to a statement released by Milam, the agreed-upon amount covers “a fraction of what her father would have earned as an international movie star had his life not been tragically cut short.” Walker’s tragic death happened in November 2013 when Rodas lost control of a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that was traveling at speeds of as much as 93 mph. The Carrera GT->ke2124 ended up slamming into trees and a utility pole before burning beyond recognition. Numerous investigations about the crash determined that Walker survived the impact but was burned to death.

With this case apparently closed, the younger Walker and her legal team are turning their attention towards a separate lawsuit filed against Porsche AG.->ke1 A separate lawsuit filed by Rodas’ widow, Kristine Rodas, against Porsche ended with a federal judge ruling in favor of the automaker because there was not enough evidence to support Rodas’ claim that the Carrera GT’s suspension had failed and that it didn’t have a racing fuel cell and crash cage.

For its part, Porsche has repeatedly maintained that it shouldn’t be held liable for Rodas and Walker’s death, arguing that the crash that led to Walker’s death was the fault of the actor because “knowingly and voluntarily assumed all risk, perils, and danger.” Porsche added that the Carrera GT Rodas drove was “abused and altered” and was “misused and improperly maintained.”

Meadow Walker’s lawsuit against Porsche is still ongoing, but if the results from the Rodas suit are any indication, her lawyers will need to present more competent evidence against Porsche to show that there was some wrongdoing on the part of the German automaker.

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Why it matters

This is the kind of story that’s really to hard to have an opinion. It’s like trying pick sides, except that doing so means you’re going against a different side that has valid points of their own. So here’s what I’ll say instead.

I hope that everyone finds the closure they need to move on with their lives. I hope that the family of Roger Rodas can move on. I hope that Porsche can move on. And I certainly hope that Meadow Walker can move on. Not that they haven’t since the tragic crash that affected so many lives, but these legal issues are like dark clouds that still hang over their heads and continue to linger.

I know a lot of people were affected by the crash and I’m not one to tell them what they have to do. I also know that they’re fighting for something that they feel they’re entitled to, whatever that “something” is. I get it and I won’t say anything about it because these are very sensitive issues. But I don’t think I’m the only person who feels that it’s harder for all parties to put this tragedy behind them with these issues still tied up in court.

Hopefully, a conclusion comes soon enough. So many lives have already been affected and there’s no reason why their lives remain stalled in some capacity. It's sad that Paul Walker and Roger Rodas lost their lives because of an avoidable crash, but it is what it is. None of it was in anyone's control, besides maybe Rodas and Walker. But the lives of the loved ones who were left behind are in control of theirs. The sooner everybody closes this chapter in their lives, the better off they’ll be.