HILO, Hawaii — An 11th hour settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed on behalf of an abused Big Island girl who suffered stab wounds, burns and a maggot-infested head wound.

The lawsuit was filed by the girl’s father and paternal grandfather.
The girl’s caregiver, Hyacinth Poouahi, was named in the lawsuit along with the girl’s mother, Crystal McGrath, who left her daughter in Poouahi’s care, and the state departments of Education and Human Services.
The lawsuit had been slated to go to trial Tuesday. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
Poouahi was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2009 after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a minor, assault, unlawful imprisonment and terroristic threatening.
The girl was 9 when the abuse began in 2004.
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Information from: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, http://www.hilohawaiitribune.com