FAMU Band Member's Family Settles With Bus Company
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) —The family of a Florida A&M University drum major who died after being hazed has reached a settlement with the owner of the bus in which the hazing took place, a family attorney said Wednesday.
Attorney Chris Chestnut said he would file a motion this week seeking the dismissal of the negligence lawsuit filed by Robert Champion's family against Fabulous Coach Lines and a bus driver.
Chestnut wouldn't disclose the financial terms but a court document filed Tuesday suggests the settlement was reached as early as last summer.
An attorney for the bus company, Richard Ford, didn't respond to a phone message or email, and neither did Ray Land, the owner of the bus company.
Fifteen former band members were charged with manslaughter and hazing in the November 2011 death of Champion, of Decatur, Georgia, and four defendants face trial next month.
The family still is pursuing a lawsuit against the university, which filed a motion Tuesday asking a judge to force the Champions to disclose the terms of the settlement.
The Champions have argued the terms of the settlement with the bus company and driver are irrelevant to their lawsuit against FAMU.
The lawsuit is scheduled to be tried in Orlando in October 2015.
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