The West Virginia University has paid $250,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the parents of a student who was found dead at a fraternity house.
The amount was paid by the State Board of Risk and Insurance Management on behalf of the university board of governors, who had earlier denied taking responsibility for the death.
On November 14, 2014, Nolan Michael Burch, 18, was found dead inside the Kappa Sigma fraternity house in Morgantown with blood alcohol lever six times more than the legal limit for driving.
According to an ABC report, two days before his death, Burch was blindfolded during a fraternity party and was made to drink a full bottle of alcohol. He was taken to another room after passing out, where he suffocated to death.
Burch’s parents filed a suit against Kappa Sigma fraternity at the Monongalia Circuit Court in 2015 and later added the university to the case as well.
According to the settlement document obtained by Charleston Gazette-Mail, the university “expressly denies liability and wrongdoing and merely intends to enter into this Agreement to secure peace and avoid the time and expense of this litigation.”
The insurer also donated $20,000 to the university’s children hospital and $5,000 to the Center for Organ Recovery and Education
