Naya Rivera’s family have privately settled the wrongful death lawsuit against Ventura County.
The lawsuit had been filed by the late actress’ ex-husband Ryan Dorsey in November 2020 on behalf of their 6-year-old son Josey.
Rivera family’s lawyer Amjad M. Khan told PEOPLE in a statement: “Through this settlement, Josey will receive just compensation for having to endure the drowning of his beloved mother at Lake Piru.”
“Though the tragic loss of Josey’s mother can never truly be overcome, we are very pleased that the monetary settlement will significantly assist Josey with his life beyond this tragedy,” he added.
The settlement is “subject to approval by the Ventura Superior Court on March 16.
Ryan and Rivera’s estate sued Ventura County, California – where Naya accidentally drowned on July 8, 2020 – the county’s Parks and Recreation Management, and the United Water Conservation District for wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit argued that the Glee star’s death was preventable and stated that the boat she and her son rented from Lake Piru did not have the proper features and equipment necessary to comply with U.S. Coast Guard safety standards.
The court documents also cited the lake’s “deadly history” and claimed that there wasn’t “a single sign anywhere warning of the lake’s strong currents, low visibility, high winds, changing water depths, underwater caves, ledges and drop offs, or the trees, brush and other debris that congest its waters due to the vastly changing water levels and winds.”
Naya, who had “strong” swimming skills, was among “more than two dozen people have drowned in Lake Piru since 1959,” according to the documents.
The 33-year-old, who was best known for playing Santana Lopez on Glee, tragically drowned on July 8, 2020, while swimming with Josey.
Over an hour after she drowned, Josey was found alone on a pontoon boat they had rented – and Naya’s body wasn’t found until 5 days later.
The mother-of-one was laid to rest in a private funeral attended by her family at Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery in the Hollywood Hills on July 24.
