Venus Williams reaches settlement over wrongful death lawsuit of man, 78, killed in car crash

Tennis star, Venus Williams, has reached a settlement with the family of the man who died in the Florida car accident she had last year.

On June 9, 2017, Venus Williams was T-boned by another as she drove through a busy intersection near her home. Jerome Barson's wife was driving and he was the passenger in the sedan that hit Williams.

Jerome died 13 days later from the injuries he sustained in the accident. At first, police had deemed the accident Williams fault as they believed she did not yield for the traffic that had the right-of-way.

However, video footage had shown that the sedan hit Williams' SUV because the tennis star was forced to stop in an intersection after being cut off by a car in front of her. Thus neither driver was charged as police determined both had the right of way.

The Barson family then filed a wrongful death suit against Williams. They claimed unspecified damages for loss of companionship for both Linda Barson and their family as well as loss of earnings, pain, and suffering, and medical and funeral expenses.

During the summer, the Barson's filed a motion to subpoena all phone devices of Williams. They claimed she had been using her cell phone when the crash.

However, Williams stated that this was a "wild goose chase," and denied access to her cell phone. She also argued that if she did so it would allow "unfettered and unlimited access to anything and everything on her phone."

Court records state that the motion from the Barson's to run a forensic inspection was approved by a judge in August. The record shows that the judge called for Williams to choose an expert to complete the probe by October 8 latest.

However, ten days after filing the motion, the Barson's chose to present a proposal for a settlement offer. As a result, Williams and Barson's estate reached a settlement.

The amount of money they settled on remains undisclosed. The court documents state that a financial settlement that will cover certain expenses was reached and agreed on by both parties involved.

It also states that both sides are paying for their own attorneys' fees for the wrongful death lawsuit.