Parents of student killed in BGSU hazing incident file lawsuit, claim school knew of hazing
The parents of a student who died after a hazing incident have filed a lawsuit claiming Bowling Green State University bears responsibility for his death.
Authorities said that Stone Foltz died in March of 2021 of alcohol poisoning after a fraternity initiation event in which he was hazed into finishing an entire bottle of alcohol.
He was found unconscious by a roommate after members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity dropped him off at his apartment. Foltz died three days later.
Foltz’s parents Cory and Shari claim BGSU ignored hazing with Greek organizations including the fraternity Stone was pledging for, according to our news partners at WBNS-TV.
Foltz’s parents believe if it were not for the university’s “gross recklessness, lax policies, lax enforcement of those policies,” he would still be alive.
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“We actually are demanding that there’s increased education to students about hazing. We want more transparency, for parents,” Cory told WBNS.
The family said they tried to work with BGSU for more than a year before deciding to file the lawsuit.
“We have to get that change to occur first. And you know, everything has been reactive at this point. And if we’re not going to be preventive, and make a change, then it’s going to need to come from the university presidents and the boards,” Shari said.
According to the lawsuit, the family is seeking “in excess of $25,000″ for each of the two claims listed.
In a statement, BGSU said while Foltz’s death is a tragedy, the lawsuit is “meritless and undermines” the university’s efforts to stop hazing.
In April 2021, the university said PIKE violated six sections of the student conduct code in connection to Foltz’s death.
Eight former fraternity members were indicted on charges in connection to Foltz’s death, six of whom pleaded guilty to various charges ranging from reckless homicide to hazing.
