State forgives legal debt for man attacked as a child
Posted May 31, 2019 4:37 pm.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska’s attorney general says a man injured in a knife attack as a child is no longer liable for legal fees associated with the case.
Stephen Hansell was 8 years old when the 2001 attack occurred.
The Anchorage Daily News reports his parents sued the following year but eventually lost and were ordered to pay more than $24,000 in attorneys’ fees. Hansell, as a plaintiff, shared liability in the debt.
Residents annually can qualify for a check from Alaska’s oil-wealth fund, but the state in 2014 began garnishing the checks to Hansell and his parents.
Recent news articles highlighting his case caught the attention of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Attorney General Kevin Clarkson.
Clarkson says Hansell’s father remains liable for his part of the debt. Hansell’s mother died in 2016.
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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com
The Associated Press
