NEW YORK - A major animal welfare group has agreed to pay $9.3 million to the owners of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to settle a lawsuit brought in response to now-dismissed legal claims of mistreated elephants.

The settlement, announced by the parties on Friday, removes the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, from litigation by Ringling Bros. against the Humane Society, the Animal Welfare Institute and a former elephant handler for the circus.

The ASPCA and others originally filed suit in 2000 against Feld Entertainment, producer of the circus, accusing the Virginia-based company of mistreating the Asian elephants that perform in its shows.

The case, which cited the Endangered Species Act, was initially dismissed.

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But an appellate court allowed the former elephant handler, Tom Rider, to pursue an individual claim that he was emotionally injured by the company's treatment of its elephants. Rider was responsible for watching over and feeding the elephants while working for the circus as a "barn man" between 1997 and 1999.

Following a trial in 2009, a District of Columbia district court judge ruled in favor of Feld Entertainment, finding that Rider had overstated his love of elephants and was not a sufficiently credible plaintiff for the case to proceed.

The judge declared Rider to be essentially a "paid plaintiff," finding that his only source of income during the previous eight years had been the animal-welfare groups involved in the case and media companies producing reports about it.

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Feld Entertainment, in turn, sued the various animal welfare groups and Rider, accusing them of abuse of process, malicious prosecution and violation of federal racketeering laws through unfounded litigation.

ASPCA President Ed Sayres said his group decided it was in its best interest to settle the dispute and that the agreement was not an admission of wrongdoing.

"We are glad to put this matter behind us so we can focus most effectively on our life-saving work, preventing cruelty and improving the welfare of animals," he said in a statement, noting that the courts never ruled on "the merits of the elephant abuse allegations."

Kenneth Feld, chairman of Feld Entertainment, which says its shows are seen by 30 million people a year, called the original litigation an attempt to destroy a family-owned business.

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"Animal activists have been attacking our family, our company, and our employees for decades because they oppose animals in circuses," he said in a statement. "This settlement is a vindication ... for the dedicated men and women who spend their lives working and caring for all the animals with Ringling Bros."

The circus currently has 45 elephants, most of which were born in captivity, and has met or exceeded legal requirements regarding the animals' welfare, company spokesman Steve Payne said.

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Tributes to a 10-year-old aspiring circus performer were pouring in Friday after his death in an accidental hanging at his home near Bellingham, Wash., as he was practicing with a costume prop.

Facebook postings honoring Caleb Kors featured pictures of flowers at a temporary public memorial at nearby Fairhaven Village Green, where Caleb was once photographed sitting on a bench with a statue of the town's father, "Dirty Dan" Harris. The page had more than 1,500 likes by late Friday.

On Thursday, Caleb's death was ruled an accident although details remained unclear, the Bellingham Herald reported.

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He died Tuesday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle from brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.

Members of the Bellingham Circus Guild who worked with Caleb told the Herald that Caleb was making a costume on Monday night when he suffered his injury. The costume included a rope, but how part of the costume became wrapped around Caleb's neck was not clear, the Herald reported.

Caleb was often seen at the Bellingham Farmers Market. Under his stage name "Flip," the fifth-grader performed acrobatics and juggling tricks with the Guild.

"He is the kind of kid that just would light up your life," Danielle Rosellisen said of her close family friend.

Rosellisen said Caleb had a natural talent for acrobatics.

"He was good at being a monkey. Ever since he was little, he was crawling around and getting onto stuff," said Rosellisen. "A lot of people (at the Bellingham Farmers Market) recognize him week after week after week... You don't miss a kid like that."

Online, Caleb's mother and father thanked the community for its support. And Caleb will continue to affect people's lives even after death -- he is an organ donor.

"Those families are smiling and laughing and super excited right now, and that is the legacy that will live on," said Rosellisen. 

Those who wish to make donations to the family can visit calebkors.chipin.com/caleb-kors, said Bellingham School District spokeswoman Tanya Rowe. More than $7,000 had been raised by Friday to help the family pay bills.

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