After nearly two years of negotiations, the Kennedy family has agreed to pay $15 million compensation to the family of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren, according to US newspaper The New York Post.
The siblings died in a 1999 plane crash which also took the life of John F Kennedy, Jr. This settlement will effectively end any possibility of a wrongful-death lawsuit in connection with the tragedy.
John, a novice pilot, was on his way to a family wedding in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, on July 16, 1999, with his wife Carolyn and her sister when his Piper Saratoga prop plane crashed into the Atlantic. After a thorough investigation, the accident was attributed to pilot error - specifically John’s lack of flying experience - combined with adverse weather conditions.
The settlement offer is believed to have been made by John’s sister Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, who is the executor of his estate. Her children are the main beneficiaries of John’s will. He left much of his estate, rumoured to be valued at $100 million, as a trust benefiting his family and various charities.