TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The parents of a Florida A&M University student who died in a November 2011 hazing have been offered a $300,000 settlement, a university attorney says.
FAMU attorney Richard Mitchell said Thursday the amount is the maximum the university can offer in the death of Robert Champion Jr. without action by the Florida Legislature, CNN reported.
Chris Chestnut, an attorney for the Champion family, rejected the offer, calling it an insult.
FAMU's interim president, Larry Robinson, would not comment directly on the offer other than to say, "We are in negotiations and we are working with our legal team to move this matter forward," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
In September, the university asked a judge to dismiss the Champion lawsuit. FAMU attorneys argued Champion should have refused to participate in the hazing and taxpayers should not be held liable for his decision.
More than a dozen people face felony hazing charges in Champion's death.
