A $1 million settlement offer to end a lawsuit by the family of a former University of Idaho student seriously injured in a 2009 fall from a fraternity house window has been rejected by the school and the Idaho State Board of Education.
Officials last month filed a response in 2nd District Court rejecting the proposed agreement by the parents of Amanda Andaverde. Officials said the dollar amount exceeds the school’s and board’s maximum legal liability for judgment.
The parents in September filed the lawsuit claiming the university, state board and several fraternities and sororities on the Moscow campus didn’t do enough to ensure the safety of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house where she was injured. Andaverde, who was 19 at the time, fell 27 feet and suffered bone fractures and debilitating injuries.
She and her family claim the fraternity is at fault because of the lack of window hardware and that as a pledge at the Delta Delta Delta sorority, Andaverde should have been protected by older members and prevented from drinking at a fraternity party the night she was injured.
UI and state board denied responsibility when responding to the lawsuit in court documents filed earlier this year. Their attorney filed a motion in May seeking a summary judgment in the case. The motion argues the university and state board had no duty to protect Andaverde from harm while she was not on university property. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for August 1. (AP)
