Nearly two years after his death, Stone Foltz family has finally reached a settlement.

   In March 2021, Stone Foltz, a college student at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio died as a result of alcohol poisoning at an off-campus initiation. 

   According to Today, Foltz was forced to drink an entire bottle of hard liquor in 18 minutes as part of a hazing ritual for initiation at the Pike fraternity. 

   After the incident, the fraternity was expelled from the university and five of the members faced criminal charges. Many were given short prison sentences or house arrest along with two to three years of probation after they plead guilty to hazing and reckless homicide charges. Some were charged with obstruction of justice and tampered evidence, according to Today.

  According to Today, the Folzet family believes the university “turned a blind eye to hazing … while encouraging students like Stone to join its fraternities and sororities.”

   On Monday, Jan. 23, the Foltz family announced a historic settlement of around $3 million from BGSU. According to Fox News, this is considered “the largest payout by a public university in a hazing case” in the history of the state.

   “The money is nothing that means anything to us, because it’s not going to bring Stone back,” Shari Foltz, Stone’s mother, said in a press conference, according to Fox News. “That piece of our heart is never going to be filled again. Closure is never going to be there for us.”

   The money will allow the family to continue to work on the “iamstonefoltz” Foundation, whose mission is to put an end to hazing and to educate students and parents about the dangers and effects of alcohol poisoning.