Naya Rivera's Ex-Husband Wins Settlement for Wrongful Death Lawsuit on Behalf of Son

Almost two years after Glee star Naya Rivera's tragic accident on Lake Piru, her family has settled the wrongful death lawsuit filed against Ventura County by her ex-husband Ryan Dorsey in November 2020.

According to PEOPLE, the lawsuit was made on behalf of their 6-year-old son Josey by Dorsey and Rivera's estate against Ventura County, California's Park and Recreation Management and the United Water Conservation District for wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress after the late actress drowned while on a boat excursion with her son at Lake Piru in early July 2020.

"Through this settlement, Josey will receive just compensation for having to endure the drowning of his beloved mother at Lake Piru," Amjad M. Khan of Brown Neri Smith & Khan, the Rivera family's lawyer, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE on February 28.

Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

Khan continued, "Though the tragic loss of Josey's mother can never truly be overcome, we are very pleased that the monetary settlement will significantly assist Josey with his life beyond this tragedy."

The parameters of the lawsuit claimed that Rivera's death was preventable and the boat she rented at Lake Piru did not have the appropriate equipment and features to be in compliance with U.S. Coast Guard safety regulations.

Additionally, court documents cited the lake's "deathly history" with "more than two dozen people drowning in the Lake since 1959."

On July 8, 2020, the search and rescue mission began after the actress' pontoon boat was overdue for return after its three-hour rental period elapsed.

Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images

Staff at the lake found the boat on the north side where Josey was sleeping on board. On July 9, authorities shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery mission, announcing that Rivera was presumed dead.

Rivera's body was found several days later, and an autopsy cited accidental drowning as the cause of death. Authorities also determined the star likely saved her son by putting him back on the boat before perishing.

"We know from speaking with her son, that he and Naya swam in the lake together at some point during their journey. It was during that time that her son described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind," Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at a news conference in 2020. "He told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water."

Ayub added, "The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting, it was unanchored, and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself."

On the first anniversary of her death, her mother Yolanda Previtire and sister Nickayla Rivera shared their grief on Good Morning America.

"I feel Naya's energy constantly telling me, 'Mom, be happy. Don't cry. I'm OK. Go get Josey. Have fun.' And I feel that it's coming from her," she said. "I literally wake up every morning, and it's almost like a restart button, and I have to shake it off … one foot at a time. And here we are."