A Nevada school district has agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the son of overnight radio talk show king Art Bell.
Arthur Bell IV was a sophomore at Pahrump Valley High School in May 1997 when he was sexually assaulted by a substitute teacher. The teacher, Brian Lepley, was later convicted and sentenced to prison.
"It's been a long case, and I know my client is glad that it's over," Bell's lawyer, John Hawley, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday.
Paul Anderson, who represents the Nye County School District, said the same settlement was offered a few years ago but was rejected. The case was scheduled for trial later this month in Las Vegas.
"We're pleased with the result," Anderson said. "We don't acknowledge any liability in the case and felt that we had a strong defense."
The younger Bell, now 23, identified himself as the plaintiff when he filed an amended lawsuit in May 1999, six months after his parents anonymously filed suit on his behalf.
Art Bell founded the "Coast to Coast" radio show in 1993 but resigned in April 2000 after his son was assaulted. He was deliberately and famously mysterious about turning the show over to someone else - at the time telling the audience that some of the things he investigated and explored through his show had put him and his family in danger. He has recently returned to the air.
