KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ A $2 million settlement was reached in a wrongful death lawsuit that was filed on behalf of the family of two brothers who disappeared last year after visiting Missouri from Wisconsin on a business trip, according to court records.
The family of Nick and Justin Diemel was suing Garland Nelson, who has been criminally charged in the Diemel brothers' deaths, Nelson's mother and their company, J4S Farm Enterprises, Inc.
The lawsuit, filed in Caldwell County in November, claimed that Nelson violated his parole for a previous conviction of selling mortgaged cows by owning a firearm and going into business with the Diemel brothers.
The lawsuit argued the conviction should have been disclosed to the Diemels before they went into business with Nelson.
The judge on Friday entered a judgment in favor of the Diemel family and against the defendants in the sum of $2 million and has approved the settlement amount, online court records state.
Attorneys representing the defendants and plaintiffs have not responded to requests for comment.
In the criminal case, which is still pending, Nelson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and various other charges in connection to the Diemel brothers' deaths.
Nelson allegedly owed the brothers $250,000 as part of a cattle deal and the brothers had visited Missouri to collect the money.
He is accused of shooting the brothers, placing them in metal barrels and burning their bodies.
Nelson pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment earlier this month.
