Paul Walker’s Daughter, Meadow, Won $10.1M Suit In 2014 — Action Against Porsche Goes On

Days after his widow’s lawsuit was thrown out, news has emerged that Roger Rodas’ estate was ordered to pay a $10.1 million settlement to Paul Walker’s daughter, Meadow, a recognition of his role in the actor’s 2013 death in a car crash.

Rodas was driving the Porsche Carrera when it crashed in Santa Clarita, killing him and Walker on the scene.

The settlement was reached in 2014, but the court paperwork wasn’t discovered by the media until recently because it had been filed under the name Meadow W., the New York Daily News reported.

After $2.9 million in legal fees are paid, $7.26 million will be put into a trust for Meadow. Walker’s lawsuit against Porsche for its role in the crash is also still pending, E! News noted.

The court determined that though Rodas wasn’t “directing the car through any particularly unsafe maneuvers when it went out of control,” he was responsible, “in part, for the accident.”

“In addition to economic loss caused by her father’s death, Meadow Walker’s claim is also for the loss of his love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society, moral support and his training and guidance.”

Meadow Walker’s attorney, Jeffery Milam, said the settlement provides the teen with compensation for all of the money her father would’ve continued to earn as an “international movie star had his life not tragically been cut short.”

Walker died at age 40 in the fiery 2013 crash when Meadow was 15-years-old. The actor was most famous for his role in the Fast and the Furious franchise.

The settlement was paid in part by insurance from Rodas’ company, Always Evolving. After this settlement was reached, Meadow Walker proceeded with legal action against the manufacturer. Her lawyer said that Rodas took “partial responsibility” for the crash, but Porsche should assume the rest.

That argument didn’t hold water in Kristine Rodas’ case. As People noted, she attempted to hold the car manufacturer responsible on four vehicle defect claims in connection with her husband’s death. The dismissal won’t deter Meadow’s case, she announced through her lawyer shortly after the court’s decision was made public.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, in November 2013, the actor was on break from filming the seventh Fast and the Furious movie on the day of the fatal accident. After attending a charity event, Paul and Roger drove off in the latter’s 2005 Porsche; Roger was driving. He was traveling on Hercules Street when the car collided with several trees and then a concrete light pole. The driver died on impact, and Paul passed away seconds later due to traumatic injuries and burns sustained in a fire.

Police later determined that Rodas, 38, was driving at least 90 mph at the time of the crash, citing unsafe speed as the cause and not mechanical problems.

Although Kristine failed to prove Porsche caused her husband’s death, her case differs from Meadow Walker’s because of how their loved ones died.

“He survived the crash but was trapped and burned to death because of the vehicle’s defect. A significant portion of the judge’s decision was based on his rejection of evidence because of missed deadlines and also a failure to sue Porsche AG, the manufacturer. Meadow will continue the fight to hold Porsche accountable for selling a defective product that kills.”

Walker has also blamed different mechanical problems for the crash. She claims the manufacturer shouldn’t have built a car that can travel at 205 mph and that a seat-belt flaw caused her father’s death.

Porsche has denied wrongdoing in the fatal wreck, either through the design, manufacture, or marketing of the car. The company has said that the car had been altered and not maintained by the owner, two contributing factors in the wreck.

[Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images]