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Widow Of Chicago Woman Gets Share Of $50M Settlement In Indiana Stage Collapse

(CBS) – It took three years to work out a $50 million settlement in the wake of a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair.

The settlement is historic—not because of the size of the award but because of who's receiving it, CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports.

Alisha Brennon and her partner Christina Santiago were among the very first couples in Illinois to enter into a civil union. They've broken another barrier in the most tragic way.

Santiago was killed in the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. And in a $50 million legal settlement announced Friday, her widow, Brennon, will be treated like any other spouse.

"She was compensated for her wife's wrongful death, and that's a first," attorney Kenneth Allen says.

It's a first in Indiana and the country.

Brennon says Santiago fought her whole life for gay rights, and would be proud.

"I think she'd be happy because of the leaps and bounds that not only Indiana but other states have made as well," she said.

But Brennon still faces a tough road ahead. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and needs ongoing medical treatment. Her physical activity is limited, and she cannot look at a computer screen for very long.

The $50 million settlement will be shared by Brennon and the families of six others killed and the 57 injured. The attorneys won't say how it was divided, only that all agreed Brennon should receive her fair share.

Nineteen companies and the band that was slated to play that night, Sugarland, are paying the money.

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