A half a million dollar payout to the parents of Scots College student Nathan Chaina after he died on a school camp has been dwarfed by the $8.3 million costs order made against the couple following an 11-year legal battle.

The crushing judgment is compounded by the revelation that the Chainas were offered $8.16 million to settle the case in 2010, which they rejected.

Rita and George Chaina in a file picture. Credit:Ben Rushton

On October 23, 1999, 15-year-old Nathan fell into a flooded river at Kangaroo Valley and drowned while he and his older brother, Mathew, who saw the accident, were taking part in a hike as part of a school camp.

A coronial inquest found the prestigious private school was liable for the death because it failed to prepare the students properly for the difficult conditions they faced and ignored the day's weather forecast.