The seemingly endless legal saga surrounding the death of Kendrick Johnson, found dead in a rolled-up gym mat nearly five years ago, gained new legs this week after the Valdosta teen's parents were granted an appeal of a ruling that would've cost them nearly $300,000.
RELATED: Parents of Kendrick Johnson ordered to pay attorney fees in gym mat death lawsuit
The order, handed down by the Georgia Court of Appeals, gives Kenneth and Jackie Johnson until Oct. 28 to file a notice of appeal.
Two months ago, Lowndes County Superior Court Judge Richard Porter ordered the Johnsons to pay $292,000 to cover the attorney fees of those they accused of killing their son and the alleged accomplices they say conspired to cover it up.
It all started with their 2015 wrongful death lawsuit which accused brothers Brian and Branden Bell of murdering their 17-year-old son. The Lowndes High sophomore's body was discovered on Jan. 11, 2013, in the school's old gymnasium. State and local investigators concluded he died from positional asphyxia after he got stuck in the mat, presumably reaching for a pair of sneakers.
A lengthy probe by the Justice Department found “insufficient evidence” of any crimes or cover up.
RELATED: Kendrick Johnson case closed with no charges filed
In their suit, the Johnsons claimed FBI agent Rick Bell -- father of Brian and Branden -- enlisted Lowndes County's school superintendent and a former sheriff to roll Kendrick's body in a gym mat as part of a plot to make his death look like an accident.
In his ruling, Porter accused the Johnsons and their attorney, Chevene King, of fabricating evidence to support their claims.
"Their testimony shows they had no evidence to support their claims that the Bells killed Johnson or that any of the other defendants engaged in a conspiracy to conceal the cause of manner of Johnson's death, " Porter wrote.
The Johnsons' have since filed another suit that contains similar accusations about a murder and cover-up.
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