--- description: The mother of the Texas "affluenza" teen has had her curfew restrictions lightened after helping her son flee the country title: 'Affluenza' Mom Gets Her Curfew Eased So She Can Find Work image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt844604ecf30a44b3/698898af0b72e30ca56e9e1b/tonya-couch-affluenza-teen-mother.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'Affluenza' Mom Gets Her Curfew Eased So She Can Find Work by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 9:46 PM CUT  Tonya Couch, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Tx., on Jan. 12, 2016. Tonya Couch, the mother of a Texas teen who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Tx., on Jan. 12, 2016.Brandon Wade—AP by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 9:46 PM CUT The mother of the Texas “[affluenza](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-affluenza-idUSKCN0Z61HU "undefined")” teen has had her curfew restrictions lightened after helping her son flee the country. In 2013, Ethan Couch infamously got a light sentence of probation and therapy for [killing four people](http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/12/the-affluenza-defense-judge-rules-rich-kids-rich-kid-ness-makes-him-not-liable-for-deadly-drunk-driving-accident/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined") in a drunk driving incident after a psychologist testified that he suffered from “[affluenza](http://ideas.time.com/2013/12/14/psychologist-affluenza-is-junk-science/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined")” and was unable to distinguish between wrong and right because he’d been spoiled by wealth. Two years later, he and his [mother](http://time.com/4158024/affluenza-teen-missing-drunk-driving/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined") Tonya violated his probation and fled to Mexico, where they were apprehended in Puerto Vallarta after a two-week manhunt. The mother was charged with aiding his flight and money laundering. She posted bond in January. Her lawyer said the terms of her curfew have now been eased in order for her to find work, but he did not elaborate on the conditions, Reuters reports. Ethan is now serving a two-year [jail](http://time.com/4210630/affluenza-teen-ethan-couch-adult-jail/?iid=sr-link6 "undefined") sentence. \[[Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-affluenza-idUSKCN0Z61HU "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4375761/affluenza-mom-curfew-eased/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4375761/affluenza-mom-curfew-eased/"},"headline":"'Affluenza' Mom Gets Her Curfew Eased So She Can Find Work","datePublished":"2016-06-20T21:46:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:43:43.262Z","description":"Her lawyer said it would help her get a job","url":"https://time.com/4375761/affluenza-mom-curfew-eased/","keywords":["Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt844604ecf30a44b3/698898af0b72e30ca56e9e1b/tonya-couch-affluenza-teen-mother.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt844604ecf30a44b3/698898af0b72e30ca56e9e1b/tonya-couch-affluenza-teen-mother.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tonya Couch","caption":"Tonya Couch, center, the mother of a Texas teen who used an \"affluenza\" defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. She is to be fitted with a GPS monitor before release. A judge decreased Couch's","creditText":"Brandon Wade—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4375761/affluenza-mom-curfew-eased/","name":"'Affluenza' Mom Gets Her Curfew Eased So She Can Find Work"}}]}] ```