Photo Credit: Getty Images
Aaron Carter's ex-fiancée has reached a partial settlement in her wrongful death lawsuit. The legal battle, however, is not entirely over.
Melanie Martin, who filed the suit in October 2023 on behalf of her and Carter's four-year-old son, Princeton "Prince" Lyric Carter, has reached a confidential agreement with two of the defendants, a psychiatrist and a mental health clinic, according to court documents
The settlement was finalized in April, following a failed mediation attempt the month prior. A motion for a determination of good faith was filed Tuesday, May 12.
Martin had alleged that Carter's death was the direct result of dangerous prescribing practices by multiple medical professionals and pharmacies, who she claimed provided him with potentially addictive medications without sufficient medical justification.
Carter, who had long been candid about his struggles with substance abuse, was found dead in his bathtub at his California home on November 5, 2022. He was 34. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled his death an accidental drowning, finding that he had inhaled difluoroethane and taken Xanax prior to his passing.
The lawsuit specifically alleged that Carter had been prescribed hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazolam with no legitimate medical basis, and that his well-documented mental health struggles should have served as a clear warning sign to any prescriber.
Other defendants named in the suit, including a dentist, a Santa Monica pharmacy and the chain Walgreens, have not settled.
The development arrives amid a separate and bitter legal dispute between Martin and Carter's mother, Jane Schneck, over his estate.
Schneck accused Martin of withdrawing $24,530 from Carter's bank accounts just days after his death. Martin denied the claim, saying Schneck was "uninformed on Aaron's financials."
A judge has since ruled Carter's estate insolvent and ordered its remaining non-cash assets distributed to Martin, the sole beneficiary being young Prince.
