Tracy Morgan’s lawyer says he "has a new lease on life” after settling with Wal-Mart

In the wake of the highway crash that left him seriously injured almost a year ago

Published May 28, 2015 3:01PM (EDT)

Comedian and actor Tracy Morgan has finally settled his lawsuit against Wal-Mart, almost a year after the highway crash that left Morgan, assistant Jeff Millea and comedian Ardie Fuqua seriously injured and killed comedian James McNair.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but Wal-Mart called it an “amicable settlement,” while Morgan said in a statement that Wal-Mart "did right by me and my family, and for my associates and their families. I am grateful that the case was resolved amicably.”

The accident occurred when a Wal-Mart tractor-trailer slammed into Morgan’s limo van on the New Jersey turnpike as the group returned home from a tour date last June. A criminal complaint against the driver of the van, Kevin Roper, alleges that he had been awake and driving for over 24 hours when the crash occurred. There has been limited news about the victims' condition since the crash, but in October, Morgan's lawyer Benedict Morelli revealed that the star suffered a "debilitating brain injury" that could potentially leave him unable to work again (As Morelli put it, "the jury's still out"). He also suffered a broken nose, a broken leg and broken ribs in the crash.

Tracy Morgan will appear on the Today Show on Monday for his first televised interview since the crash. Speaking with Matt Lauer this morning, Morelli said that the star has "a new lease on life" in the wake of the settlement. “The process is never easy,” he said. “You know that Tracy was close to death, and Tracy tells me every time I see him… that he has a new lease on life, and he’s very happy to have put the litigation behind him and have closure to this tragic part of his life.”


By Anna Silman

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Lawsuits Tracy Morgan Wal-mart