Cash settlement reached in suit over roller derby mom’s death

Aug. 17--The civil lawsuit filed against Steven Willis in the death of Samantha Miller has been settled, while the criminal case is still pending.

Miller, 27, was killed on Oct. 23 when she and her three children were stranded beside Interstate 55 when her car broke down. The car that struck her and her vehicle on the side of the road was driven by Willis, 38, of Maryville, who police believe was intoxicated at the time.

Willis is charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol. He was also sued by Willis' family: Joshua Miller and Barry Monroe, the administrators of her estate, sued Willis and The Hangar, a tavern near his employer. Joshua Miller is the father of the children, who were injured when Willis' car struck their vehicle.

According to the suit, The Hangar is the bar in Cahokia where Willis allegedly went for drinks on the day of the crash. Jet Aviation Inc., Willis' employer, was named as a respondent in discovery to require the company to provide information regarding the case, but was not named as a defendant.

The suit, filed last year in St. Clair County, was settled by insurance companies in May 2016, according to documents filed with the court. Metropolitan Grove Property and Casualty was ordered to pay $300,000, distributed with $80,000 each to two of the children, $40,000 to the third, and $100,000 to the estate of Samantha Miller, which will in turn be divided equally among the children and held in restricted accounts due to the children's age until it is time to pay for college, according to the settlement.

Society Insurance will pay $200,000, distributed with $70,000 to Samantha's estate, $55,000 each to two of the children and $20,000 to the third child, with the same arrangements.

Willis' criminal charges are still pending in Madison County Circuit Court. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. A News-Democrat investigation showed that Willis has received at least 40 traffic citations since 1994 in Madison and St. Clair counties, most of which were dismissed with "court supervision," so they never affected his official driving record.

Willis is expected to appear in court next on Sept. 12.

The Miller children were represented by Jon Rosenstengel of Bonifeld & Rosenstengel of Belleville, who could not immediately be reached for comment. Willis is represented by St. Louis defense attorney Scott Rosenblum, who said Willis had no comment.

Miller worked at a nursing home and a laundromat, attended classes at Southwestern Illinois College and was a member of a roller derby team.

Elizabeth Donald: 618-239-2507, @BNDedonald

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