Parents of Wealthy Teen Diagnosed With 'Affluenza' to Pay Fraction of Rehab Bill
The cost to rehabilitate Ethan Couch, the rich teenager who was sentenced to probation after killing four people while driving drunk in 2012, will be divided between his wealthy parents and Texas taxpayers.
On Friday, a judge ordered the parents of the 17-year-old to pay a small fraction of his rehab treatment at a Texas state hospital. According to Fox News, the cost to treat Couch at the Vernon State Hospital is $715 per day, but his parents will only be required to pay $1,170 each month. As a result, Couch's family will be paying for less than two days of every month that their son is there, while the rest of the funds will come from the state mental health care budget.
The state facility said the amount of Couch's out-of-pocket expenses was determined by a sliding scale. In response, the family's attorney said they will respect the facility's recommendation and make the ordered payments.
Back in 2013, Couch was convicted of intoxication manslaughter for a June 2012 crash that killed four people and injured several others. However, he avoided jail time and was sentenced to 10 years probation with time in a rehab facility.
His defense lawyers argued that the teen suffered from a condition known as "affluenza" and was not taught right from wrong because "his family felt that wealth bought privilege and there was no rational link between behavior and consequences," KHOU reported.
While prosecutors were pushing for Couch to spend 20 years in prison, his attorneys argued that he needed treatment, not jail time, and suggested that he be sent to a treatment facility.
Eric Boyles, whose wife and daughter were killed in the June 2012 crash, told reporters that he believes Couch's wealth and privilege helped him prevail in the case.
"Had he [Couch] not had money to have the defense there, to also have the experts testify, and also offer to pay for the treatment, I think the results would have been different," he said, according to CNN.