Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Law could severely limit potential damages in FAMU hazing lawsuit

EXCERPT:

ORLANDO, Fla. _ With every troubling new revelation about Florida A&M University's Marching 100, the pending civil case against FAMU seems to grow stronger for the parents of Robert Champion, the drum major who died from being hazed on a charter bus in Orlando.

But the prospects of Robert and Pamela Champion collecting a large financial settlement or jury award is another matter. That's because the university enjoys the legal protection of sovereign immunity, which could severely limit the amount of money the Champions ultimately collect if they win a lawsuit.

But no matter how negligent FAMU may be proved to be, sovereign immunity could limit the university from liability payouts greater than $200,000 per claim. That would be $200,000 for Robert and $200,000 for Pamela. In the Champions' home state of Georgia, the claim cap is higher -- $1 million per claim, Chestnut said.

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