Settlement being worked out in police legal fee dispute

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A dispute over legal fees for a white former South Carolina police officer charged in the shooting death of a black motorist is being settled out of court.

Former North Charleston officer Michael Slager sued the Southern States Police Benevolent Association last year, saying the group failed to provide legal representation he paid for under an insurance policy.

The association initially said it would not pay because the April, 2015, shooting of Walter Scott was outside Slager’s duties as a police officer. That shooting was captured on a dramatic cellphone video.

In court documents filed Tuesday, Slager’s attorney said a settlement is being worked out for an undisclosed sum. A hearing in the case scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled.

Slager faces a murder charge in an October trial.

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