SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The widow of a man who died last year after being struck by a car driven by South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has reached an out-of-court settlement after threatening a lawsuit, the two sides confirmed Wednesday.
Ravnsborg pleaded no contest to a pair of traffic misdemeanors in the crash that killed Joseph Boever, who was walking alongside a rural highway late the night of Sept. 12, 2020. Ravnsborg was ordered to pay $500 fines on each charge, as well as court costs.
Matthew Tysdal, an attorney for Jenny Boever, and Mike Deaver, spokesman for Ravnsborg, confirmed the settlement but would not reveal any terms. Tysdal said neither he nor his client would have any further comment.
“They have reached a settlement with the insurance company and Mr. Ravnsborg,” Deaver told The Associated Press. “It happened fairly quickly. So there won’t be any kind of civil suits or anything else, as it was an accident.”
Prosecutors said Ravnsborg was on his phone roughly a minute before the crash, but phone records showed it was locked at the moment of impact. Ravnsborg told investigators that the last thing he remembered before impact was turning off the radio and looking at his speedometer.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has repeatedly called for Ravnsborg to resign. The GOP-controlled Legislature will consider whether to try to impeach the Republican attorney general during a special session that starts Nov. 9.
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