‘Cheerleader Mom’ Agrees to Pay Family of Rival $150,000
The infamous “Texas Cheerleader Mom,” who is accused of hiring a hit man to kill the mother of her daughter’s cheerleading rival, has agreed to pay the woman $150,000 in a settlement approved by a Texas judge.
The money will be paid by the home insurance company of Wanda Holloway to Verna Heath, Holloway’s alleged target, to settle a longstanding civil lawsuit, according to an agreement announced by a state judge late Monday.
Holloway was convicted in 1991 of trying to hire someone to kill Heath and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
But a new trial was ordered after one of the jurors was discovered to have been convicted of a drug offense. Holloway remains free on bail.
In a case that drew worldwide attention and spawned a series of television movies and book deals, officials allege that Holloway wanted Heath killed so that her daughter would become so upset she would drop out of cheerleading--opening a spot for Holloway’s own daughter at a junior high school in nearby Channelview.
The Heath family will receive about $100,000 of the total settlement after legal fees, according to lawyers in the case. Heath and her husband, Jack, will receive $70,000 and their four children will receive the remaining $30,000.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.