2008 Woodie Awards
Judge makes $1.5 million ruling in suit over 2003 fraternity hazing death
Family of Walter Jennings wins wrongful death suit against former Psi Epsilon Chi member
Ryan Hutchins
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: News
Originally published: 12/6/07 at 5:58 PM EST
Last update: 2/6/08 at 2:43 PM EST
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Former PSUC student John Burnius must pay the family of Walter Dean Jennings III $400,000 in compensatory damages and $100,000 for wrongful death. He must also pay $1 million in punitive damages.
The payouts were ordered by State Supreme Court Justice Stephen A. Ferradino in the lawsuit filed in 2004 by Jennings' father, Walter Jennings Jr. , against Burnius, 13 other members and the fraternity's parent company. All of the other plaintiffs have settled out of court, the Albany Times Union reports.Psi Ep members were blamed by police for Jennings' death on March 12, 2003. He died after he drank massive amounts of water through a funnel. The cause of death was found to be hyponatremia, a rare condition characterized by swelling of the brain due to water intoxication.
"Exhausted and dirty, Dean Jennings was forced to repeatedly drink excessive amounts of water and began to suffer the effects of water intoxication that led to his death," wrote Ferradino in a ruling filed late last month. "Only when he was unresponsive and foaming a red tinged liquid from his mouth and nose did several fraternity brothers take Dean Jennings to the local hospital."
His death was the culmination of 10 days of torturous hazing rituals conducted in the basement of the fraternity's former house at 72 Broad St. Police initially charged 10 students and one alumnus with 150 collective crimes, including criminally negligent homicide. All pleaded guilty to lesser charges and only one person served jail time.
Ferradino calls Burnius' conduct "cruel, relentless and uncivilized" and said he struggles to understand why he acted the way he did.
"How Mr. Bernius could urinate in a concoction of liquor and then force Dean Jennings to drink it until he vomited is unfathomable behavior in a civilized society," the justice wrote.
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