A student’s family who died of alcohol poisoning while promising a fraternity will receive nearly $3 million from Bowling Green State University to settle its hazing-related lawsuit, according to a settlement announced Monday.
As part of the settlement, Stone Foltz’s family and the university said they will work to address and eliminate hazing on college campuses. Foltz’s parents have started a foundation focused on hazing education and have spoken to students at other colleges about its dangers.
“We can continue our fight to save lives,” said Shari Foltz, whose son died of alcohol poisoning in March 2021.
A university investigation found that the 20-year-old had attended a fraternity initiation event where there was a tradition for new members to finish or attempt to finish a bottle of alcohol, according to university research.
Foltz, from Delaware, Ohio, was found unconscious after members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity left him at his apartment. He died three days after being put on life support.
Both parties said in a joint statement issued on Monday that his death will affect them forever.
“This resolution prevents the Foltz family and the BGSU community from reliving tragedy for years to come in the courtroom and allows us to focus on furthering our shared mission of ending hazing in Ohio and across the country. Leading these efforts in our communities is the real work that honors Stone,» the statement said.
The settlement with the university is in addition to more than $7 million in payments made to the family by the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and those who played a role in the hazing, according to court documents.
Eight former members of the fraternity have pleaded guilty or been found guilty to various charges, including reckless homicide, hazing and giving alcohol to a minor.
However, two of the eight were acquitted last year of more serious charges including manslaughter and manslaughter. His defense attorneys had argued that Foltz was not required or obligated to finish the entire bottle and made that decision at his own expense.
In their lawsuit, Foltz’s parents accused the school of failing to stop hazing in fraternities and sororities despite being aware of it.
His attorney, Rex Elliott, said Monday that the university is making an effort to prevent another tragedy from happening and that universities across the country must play a role in reforming how fraternities and sororities attract new members.
“Greek organizations won’t survive if the hazing doesn’t stop,” Elliott said. «Hazing and pledge shows are a relic of the past.»
After death by hazing, Bowling Green ejected pi kappa alpha and said that he would never be recognized on campus again. The university also developed a plan to address anti-hazing efforts, including hiring a prevention coordinator and making it easier for students to report hazing to the school.
Stone Foltz’s death also sparked changes beyond Bowling Green, including a new state law that created tougher criminal penalties for hazing, a proposal first made after an Ohio University student died in 2018 after of ingesting nitrous oxide in a frat house.