Bowling Inexperienced State College reached a $2.9 million settlement with the household of a 20-year-old pupil who died in 2021 after a fraternity hazing incident, The Columbus Dispatch reported Monday.
Stone Foltz was a sophomore at Bowling Inexperienced State pledging the Pi Alpha Kappa fraternity when he attended an off-campus initiation occasion in March 2021 the place he drank a liter of bourbon, in response to the Dispatch. Three days later he died of alcohol poisoning.
Foltz’s dad and mom, Cory and Shari Foltz, filed a wrongful loss of life lawsuit in opposition to Bowling Inexperienced State in June 2022, alleging that the college knew Greek organizations on campus had been participating in hazing rituals however did nothing to cease them.
A number of members of Pi Alpha Kappa had been criminally charged in Foltz’s loss of life and served between one and 6 weeks in jail, Cleveland.com reported, although they had been discovered not responsible of probably the most critical fees, involuntary manslaughter and reckless murder.
The settlement payout is the biggest by a public college in a hazing case in Ohio’s historical past, the household’s lawyer mentioned. The cash will likely be used to assist the antihazing iamstonefoltz Basis.
As a part of the settlement, the college has additionally agreed to associate with the Foltzes to finish hazing.
“From day one, we’ve all the time wished the identical factor as Bowling Inexperienced—to eradicate hazing throughout the nation,” Cory Foltz mentioned at a press convention Monday. “So I strongly imagine that at this time, shifting ahead, we are able to work with Bowling Inexperienced, and Bowling Inexperienced will likely be one of many first universities to take the massive step in the direction of eliminating hazing throughout the nation.”