ORLANDO, Florida -- An Orange County judge, rejecting FAMU's argument that drum major Robert Champion should be viewed as a voluntary "participant" in the illegal hazing that killed him, will not throw out a wrongful-death lawsuit against the university.
Circuit Judge Walter Komanski issued his ruling in a 21-page order Thursday that allows the lawsuit to move forward against Florida A&M University and three other defendants, including the Rosen Plaza hotel in Orlando.
The drum major's parents, Robert and Pamela Champion of Decatur, Ga., sued FAMU, Fabulous Coach Lines and a bus driver over the fatal hazing of their son, Robert, 26. He was beaten to death Nov. 19, 2011, on a bus in the hotel parking lot.
At a hearing in November, Richard Mitchell, an Orlando lawyer for FAMU, outlined the university's position that Champion ignored Florida law and school and band policies by voluntarily submitting to the hazing, known as "Crossing Bus C," after the Florida Classic football game at the Citrus Bowl.
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