04/11/2014 // West Palm Beach, Florida, US // JusticeNewsFlash // Justice News Flash // (press release)

Fort Worth, Texas – The family of a teen who received 10 years probation for charges stemming from a fatal drunken driving accident will not pay his full costs of court ordered treatment. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), a court official recently testified that the parents of Ethan Couch will be charged a fraction of the monthly costs required for him to receive treatment at a North Texas State Hospital.

Couch, 17, drove a truck into a crowd of people while they were trying to assist a person in a disabled vehicle last year. He was stated to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time, and traces of Valium were reportedly also found in his system. The teen’s case garnered national headlines because of the defense’s argument that he suffered from a condition he referred to as “affluenza,” due to being pampered by his wealthy family.

Couch’s parents will be required to pay $1,170 per month, which covers two days of treatment at a facility that reportedly has a daily cost of $715. The family had previously offered to cover the costs of sending him to a facility that cost $450,000 a year in California; however, the request was rejected by State District Judge Jean Boyd, who also sentenced him to probation instead of prison time.

The Couch family has been sued by several of the victims in the case.

This report is provided by Justice News Flash – Texas Legal News

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