REVEALED: Former Bachelor Chris Soules and his parents paid $2.5 MILLION to the family of a 66-year-old man killed in 2017 when the reality star rear-ended his tractor
- The family of Kenny Mosher sought the settlement in a wrongful death case they brought against Chris Soules and his parents, Gary and Linda
- It was approved by a judge in January after the fatal crash on April 24, 2017
- The star of The Bachelor in 2015 had his sentencing delayed by a judge Tuesday
- He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of a fatal crash after he rear-ended a tractor in Iowa in 2017, killing 66-year-old Kenny Mosher
- The original felony charge he faced carried a possible penalty of up to five years
- Soules, 37, also appeared on 'The Bachelorette' and 'Dancing With The Stars'
Former Bachelor Chris Soules and his parents paid $2.5 million to the family of a 66-year-old man who was killed when the reality star rear-ended his tractor in Iowa in 2017, court records show.
Farmer Soules, 37, who appeared on ABC's The Bachelor in 2015, pleaded guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident that left Kenny Mosher dead. Sentencing in the case was delayed Tuesday by a Buchanan County judge.
In January, the Mosher family sought a $2.5 million settlement in a wrongful death case they brought against Soules and his parents, Gary and Linda. It was approved by a judge, weareiowa.com reports.
The January 2019 settlement agreement states: 'For the total consideration of $2,500,000.00, Nancy Mosher, Matthew Mosher, Michael Mosher, and the Estate of Kenneth Mosher ("claimaints") hereby release and forever discharge Christopher Soules, Gary Soules, Linda Soules ... from any and all liability whatsoever ... arising out of an automobile accident that occurred on April 24, 2017.'
Former Bachelor Chris Soules (pictured at a court hearing on Tuesday) and his parents have been ordered to pay $2.5 million to the family of Kenny Mosher, killed when the reality star rear-ended his tractor in Iowa in 2017
Iowa farmer Chris Soules, 37 (left), who appeared on ABC's The Bachelor in 2015, pleaded guilty to resolve the criminal charge against him related to a fatal crash from April 24, 2017 that took the life of 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher (right)
Reality star Soules, insured by Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, called 911 and waited for first responders, but he left before police arrived on April 24, 2017.
He was initially charged with the Class D felony of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death - which Soules denied.
But but when the charge was lowered to the aggravated misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, he pleaded guilty.
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Soules' attorney made a point of noting that witnesses at the scene of the accident said 'there was no indication whatsoever that Mr. Soules was impaired.'
He now faces up to two years in prison after Judge Andrea Dryer granted a request from both sides delaying sentencing on Tuesday.
Soules lawyers said the presentencing report should not have included statements from Mosher's relatives. That led to both the prosecution and defense requesting a new pre-sentence hearing.
Mosher, who had an estate worth over $3 million, had been driving a John Deere tractor on the night of April 24, 2017, which Soules admitted to crashing into from behind.
Soules reported the accident to 911, identified himself, waited for paramedics and even administered CPR himself, but he left the scene in a separate vehicle before police arrived and headed to his Arlington, Iowa home — which is against the law in Iowa.
Reality TV star Chris Soules arrives in the courtroom Tuesday for his sentencing which was delayed by Judge Andrea Dryer after a request from both sides
Soules, who became known as 'Prince Farming' during his 2015 appearance on 'The Bachelor' also appeared on 'The Bachelorette' and 'Dancing With The Stars'
The law in question says, in part, 'a surviving driver shall promptly report the accident to law enforcement authorities, and shall immediately return to the scene of the accident or inform the law enforcement authorities where the surviving driver can be located'.
Most states consider it a felony to leave the scene of an accident in which someone is injured or dies, but Iowa's law differs in that it has been interpreted to require the surviving driver to be present when law officers arrive.
'No other state has a comparable requirement,' Soules' attorneys said in previous court documents.
State prosecutors contend the purpose of the law is to prevent drivers from evading liability for driving recklessly, driving while drunk or driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Soules' attorney, Brandon Brown, noted in a statement that accompanied Soules' guilty plea that the tractor Mosher was driving was not illuminated on the 'dark, overcast night' of his death.
'Although Iowa law requires slow-moving tractors to display flashing amber lights, neither Mr. Soules nor the independent witness to the accident saw any lights on the tractor,' Brown said.
'Based on witness testimony, the tractor could have been traveling as slow as 6 miles per hour at the time of the accident. Mr. Soules was traveling under the speed limit at the time of impact.
'At these speeds, law enforcement and collision experts concluded Mr. Soules reacted reasonably given the closing speed and known reaction time to seeing the slow-moving tractor. Mr. Soules found himself in an unavoidable accident.'
Brown said that Soules was the only person on the scene to administer CPR to Mosher until paramedics arrives, stopping only 'once the compressions caused blood to come from Mr. Mosher’s mouth.'
Brown detailed how Soules talked with multiple people on the scene before leaving, which was before law enforcement arrived.
'All of the on-scene witnesses agreed there was no indication whatsoever that Mr. Soules was impaired,' Brown said.
'No one, even the individuals who knelt in close proximity to Mr. Soules while he administered CPR smelled any alcohol or had any belief Mr. Soules had been drinking.'
Soules, who shot to fame as the star of the 19th season of The Bachelor, largely vanished from the public eye and social media after the incident, re-emerging with a post to his Instagram story in March, and not with an actual photo of himself until July 4 (pictured)
Chris proposed to Whitney Bischoff at the end of the 2015, but they called off the engagement shortly after the finale aired
He was subsequently arrested at his house in connection with fleeing the scene of an accident.
The reality star didn't initially answer his door until he was served with a warrant, police said.
Soules, who shot to fame as the star of the 19th season of The Bachelor, during which he proposed to Whitney Bischoff, a relationship which ended shortly after the finale aired.
He largely vanished from the public eye and social media after the incident, re-emerging first with a post to his Instagram story in March, and not with an actual photo of himself until July 4.
'Happy Independence Day!' Soules wrote in the national holiday, adding the hashtag '#america.'
He had last shared a photo of himself to the platform on April 20, 2017, just days before the crash that claimed the life of Mosher.
Soules previously pleaded guilty to drunken driving in 2005 and was sentenced to one year of probation and a 60-day suspended jail sentence. In 2001, when he was 19, he twice pleaded guilty to underage possession of alcohol and also was fined for having an open container in a car.
Soules, who became known as 'Prince Farming' during his 2015 appearance on 'The Bachelor' also appeared on 'The Bachelorette' and 'Dancing With The Stars'.
TEEN DRINKING, SPEEDING, DUI: SOULES' RAP SHEET REVEALED
Soules' criminal record has more than a dozen convictions from the time he was 16 years old
Chris Soules, the dashing all-American gentleman farmer from Iowa who charmed his way into TV viewers' hearts on The Bachelor, had spent his late teens and 20s going in and out of courtrooms on more than a dozen charges, most of them related to driving violations and alcohol consumption.
Records available on Iowa Courts' website detail Soules' vast history of run-ins with the law, which goes back 1998 and includes 13 guilty pleas on a slew of counts, ranging from registration violations to underage drinking and fighting.
In 1998, Soules, then aged 16, was convicted for the first time of speeding six to 10 miles over a 55mph speed limit and was sentenced to a fine.
In 2001, Soules was found guilty of underage drinking and failure to maintain control of a vehicle in two separate incidents. Both cases saw the future reality star get off with fines.
In May and August of that year, Soules was convicted twice of possession of alcohols under age. In the latter incident, he was also found guilty of driving with an open container of alcohol, running a stop sign and speeding. Those cases also resulted in fines.
In February 2002, Soules was convicted of fighting, and in March he was back in court on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident, which was later reduced to a count of defective brakes.
Soules stayed out of trouble for four years until in 2006 he was convicted of his most serious charge - driving while intoxicated - and fined more than $500. His sentence also included a year of probation.
In 2007, Soules was found guilty of speeding, and the same charge brought him back to court in 2009.
Soules' final brush with the law before the crash and his arrest in 2017 occurred in 2010, when he was convicted and fined for a registration violation.
