Casey Anthony, the Florida mother acquitted in the 2008 killing of her 2-year-old daughter, has reached a settlement with a search and rescue organization that spent $100,000 looking for her missing daughter, the group's lawyer said, Reuters reported yesterday. Anthony was acquitted in 2011 of the murder of her daughter, Caylee, in a trial broadcast live nationwide. She was found guilty of lying to investigators when she told them Caylee had been kidnapped and prompted a nationwide search for the girl. Texas EquuSearch, which claimed it drained its coffers and brought in "countless" volunteers in a massive search for Caylee, sued after Anthony's lawyer told jurors in his opening statement during the trial that Caylee drowned in the family's backyard pool, and that Anthony knew she was not missing. Texas EquuSearch lawyer Marc Wites said that the organization decided against taking the case to trial. Anthony filed for bankruptcy in January claiming that she has just over $1,000 in assets and is nearly $800,000 in debt, according to a court filing. Under the settlement, Anthony will not object to Texas EquuSearch being named as a $75,000 creditor in her bankruptcy case, and Texas EquuSearch will not object to Anthony's bankruptcy petition for discharge.
