Parents of Hazing Victim Settle With Fraternity at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo

The parents of a freshman who died of alcohol poisoning while pledging a fraternity at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo have settled their lawsuit against Sigma Alpha Epsilon, according to The Tribune, a local newspaper. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but Scott and Julia Starkey said the national fraternity was now required to “make fundamental changes … particularly concerning hazing and the availability and misuse of alcohol.” The Starkeys’ son, Carson, died in December 2008 after a hazing incident left him with a blood-alcohol level about five times as high as the level California defines as drunken driving. The SAE chapter was dissolved in the aftermath of the incident, which led to criminal charges against some members and a $500,000 settlement by one of them. Lawsuits against other members are scheduled for trial in September.