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Casey Anthony reaches deal with Texas EquuSearch

 
Casey Anthony listens to testimony during her trial in Orlando in 2011. Anthony was found not guilty of murder in her daughter’s death. She has been living in hiding ever since. 
Casey Anthony listens to testimony during her trial in Orlando in 2011. Anthony was found not guilty of murder in her daughter’s death. She has been living in hiding ever since. 
Published Oct. 22, 2013

Casey Anthony is a step closer to a financial clean slate after her bankruptcy attorneys reached a settlement with Texas EquuSearch, the search-and-recovery group that scoured Central Florida for her daughter in 2008.

EquuSearch was one of three Anthony creditors who filed complaints objecting to her Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which is being heard in federal court in Tampa.

The group says it spent more than $100,000 searching for 2-year-old Caylee, who Anthony already knew was dead.

In a settlement filed Friday, EquuSearch agreed to drop its complaint. Anthony agreed to allow EquuSearch to claim $75,000 as a creditor.

However, it appears unlikely that EquuSearch will get much, if any, of that money. EquuSearch attorney Marc Wites acknowledged Monday that Chapter 7 creditors "usually receive very little money, if anything."

The group may get a portion of whatever Anthony's bankruptcy trustee can find in her estate, but the rest of the $75,000 debt is now set to be wiped away when her bankruptcy concludes.

Anthony's January bankruptcy filing lists more than $792,000 in debt and less than $1,100 in assets. The settlement with EquuSearch does not require Anthony to admit liability.

In a news release, EquuSearch said the decision to settle came "after considerable thought."

"While many have debated whether Casey Anthony will ever financially profit from Caylee's death, one thing is certain: The time and money that (EquuSearch) must spend to pursue these claims are being taken from other families that really need their help," said EquuSearch law firms Wites & Kapetan and Meland Russin & Budwick.

Two other Anthony creditors, Zenaida Gonzalez and Roy Kronk, have complaints pending against her. A judge is scheduled to hear motions to dismiss those complaints next month.

Anthony was found not guilty of murder in her daughter's death in a 2011 trial. She has been living in hiding ever since.