Survivors of 'vodka mom' seek settlement

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn., July 17 (UPI) -- An attorney for survivors of a Minnesota woman who killed herself after Nancy Grace called her "vodka mom" said he plans to contact CNN about a settlement.

Toni Medrano, 29, of Cottage Grove, south of St. Paul, died July 7 after reportedly setting herself afire in her mother's backyard, the St. Paul Pioneer Press has reported.

Attorney Michael Padden, who has been hired by Medrano's survivors, said he would seek a settlement from CNN, and if the network offers none, he would consider a lawsuit, the Pioneer Press said.

Medrano was dubbed the "vodka mom" on a June 11 segment of the "Nancy Grace" show on CNN's HLN channel, and other national news outlets picked up the story and the "vodka mom" label.

Medrano allegedly drank a fifth of vodka before falling asleep on a couch next to her 3-week-old son in November, and an autopsy showed the baby was smothered. Medrano was charged with second-degree manslaughter.