UWash PiKappaPhi settle death law suit

[hoosier]

November 2, 2004
Parents settle lawsuit over son's death at frat party in Seattle

SEATTLE - The parents of a University of Washington student who died after a fall at the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house have settled a lawsuit against the fraternity, their lawyer said.

Terms were not disclosed, but part of the settlement will be used to establish a scholarship in memory of Brett Jensen of Everett, said Mark A. Johnson, a lawyer for Jensen's parents Don and Jan Jensen.

The settlement did not include an admission of wrongdoing by the fraternity, based in Charlotte, N.C., Johnson said Monday.

"The Jensens brought the lawsuit to discover the truth about Brett's death. The settlement and the scholarship it enables are the Jensens' memorial to their son," he said.

Jensen, 19, a 4.0 student in high school and class valedictorian, attended what his parents said was a drinking party in which participants drank a shot of beer every minute for 100 minutes.

Hours later, early on the morning of May 7, 2002, he fell 30 feet from a balcony, causing fatal head injuries. Police said they could find no witnesses to the fall.