Children of Rachel Morin reach confidential settlement in fundraiser lawsuit
A lawsuit filed by the children of Rachel Morin, the Maryland woman murdered along a popular walking trail in 2023, over fundraiser money was dismissed Thursday, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Filed in May, the complaint accused the children's grandmother, Patty Morin, and their aunt, Rebekah Morin, of fraud for not sharing donations raised after Rachel Morin's death. Court records said a GoFundMe campaign was launched to cover funeral expenses, with the remaining funds intended for her children.
The lawsuit alleged that nearly $55,000 in contributions ended up in an account controlled by Patty and Rebekah Morin, Rachel's mother and sister, rather than being distributed to the children.
According to the Banner, Matt McMahon, the father of Morin's eldest child Faye McMahon, said that the parties agreed to a settlement, but he was not allowed to discuss it due to a confidentiality clause.
Attorney George Robinson, who represented the children, said the agreement provided an undisclosed amount to them and ended the litigation.
"After a long dispute over the ownership of the funds donated for the benefit of Rachel Morin's children, the guardians of the children and the defendants Rebekah and Patricia Morin entered into a settlement agreement, the terms of which are confidential," Robinson told the Banner.
The settlement comes only weeks after 24-year-old Victor Martinez-Hernandez was sentenced to life without parole for the first-degree murder and rape of Morin.
Rachel Morin murder case
Police said that on Aug. 5, Morin went out for a run on the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County but never came back. She was discovered the following day, having been raped and killed.
After a 10-month nationwide search, Martinez-Hernandez was captured in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Authorities said he had entered the U.S. illegally in early 2023 to evade an outstanding murder warrant.
DNA from Morin's crime scene was also linked to a Los Angeles home invasion in which a child and her mother were assaulted.
