Former Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper Charles Van Morgan leaves an appeal hearing.
This picture, on Tim Anito's cell phone, shows his son Kyle Anito.
The parents of Kyle Anito placed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal on the $10 million lawsuit the family filed in January.
Former Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper Charles Van Morgan, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety were listed in the suit resulting from Morgan's actions during a high-speed chase involving Kyle Anito.
The 20-year-old Halls man died when his car hit a tree during the chase. THP said Trooper Morgan saw the crash but chose to ignore it.
Monday, Kyle Anito's father, Tim, explained the family's decision to drop the suit.
"The lawsuit has run its course," Tim Anito told 10News. "We were never about the money to begin with. For us to pursue it any further, it made our family look vindictive and mean. That's not what we are all about. The lawsuit was symbolic, if anything. It was just a choice. We could do nothing or take the only civilized legal action available to us. We're satisfied. Not happy, but satisfied. Everything that has happened was because of the highway patrol."
Tim Anito believes THP's actions against Morgan are appropriate for what happened. Morgan's job was terminated in February.
"In the end, the only person he [Kyle Anito] hurt was himself. The only person Officer Morgan hurt was himself. So, we're satisfied that the damage was done between those two men at a very inopportune time," Tim Anito said.
According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, Morgan will appeal his termination for the third time in November.