FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — The parents of a California State University, Fresno freshman who died in 2012 of alcohol poising while pledging for a fraternity have filed a wrongful death suit against the fraternity and several of its members.
Paul and Diane Dhanens, parents of 18-year-old Philip Dhanens of Bakersfield, filed the suit against the Indiana-based Theta Chi Fraternity Inc., the local Beta Upsilon chapter, and six members of the fraternity. The suit was announced Friday by San Francisco-based law firm Kerr & Wagstaffe.
Three Fresno State students were charged last week with hazing and providing alcohol to Dhanens, who was only a couple weeks into his first semester when he died.
The coroner's office found that he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.36 — nearly five times the legal driving limit.
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