While Cornell University Police did not suspect foul play at the time, the teen’s parents offered a $10,000 reward to anyone with information about his … The Cornell suit was settled for an undisclosed amount of money. If you hear something, say something. Antonio’s body was found in Ithaca’s Fall Creek Gorge. According to the lawsuit, members of Phi Kappa Psi drove Tsialas from the Robert Purcell Community Center at 8:30 p.m. to the fraternity’s house. He was found dead in a gorge two days later. Judge Gerald Keene’s ruling against Cornell allows the lawsuit, filed by the family of Cornell University freshman Antonio Tsialas, to move forward. The settlement includes a financial component, though terms of the monetary agreement between the school and the family are confidential, according to David Bianchi, the Miami-based attorney who represented the Tsialas family throughout the lawsuit. The lawsuit names Cornell … Tsialas' family filed lawsuits against Phi Kappa Psi, Cornell, and individuals involved. Rohe, Granath, Berman, Berkenfeld, Russo and Jacobs have not responded to The Sun’s requests for comment. If you see something, say something. Phi Kappa Psi’s executive director, Ronald Ransom II, said via email that the organization was aware of the lawsuit but had not been served and does not discuss pending litigation. The parents of Antonio Tsialas ’23 — a freshman who was found dead at the base of Fall Creek gorge in October — have filed a lawsuit against Cornell University, the Phi Kappa Psi … Our firm has named 11 defendants in our lawsuit: Phi Kappa Psi, the chapter advisor, 8 fraternity officers and members, and Cornell University. People can also email Cornell Police investigators at cup-inv@cornell.edu or reach out through the Silent Witness Program.”. Currently, the amount of damages Tsialas’ family is seeking is undetermined. A U.S. appeals court says three members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity have a plausible case that they were implicated in a now-retracted story about an alleged gang rape at U.Va. According to the lawsuit, Tsialas was one of 35 other freshmen invited to attend a rush party at the Phi Kappa Psi frat house last fall. The findings listed in the lawsuit were from an investigation carried out by a private investigator. Phi Kappa Psi (ΦΚΨ), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. We are an independent, student newspaper. The settlement brings to an end the civil lawsuit brought by the Tsialas family against Cornell, the Phi Kappa Psi local chapter, the Phi Kappa Psi national organization and several officers with the fraternity's Cornell chapter. The University did not keep the family or the family’s lawyer informed of the ongoing investigation, Bianchi told The Sun in a phone call Wednesday morning. Following the death of Tsialas, Cornell University President Martha Pollack announced several policy changes governing Greek activities at the Ivy League school. A request for comment to DA Matt Van Houten has not been answered so far. The lawsuit filed in Tompkins County, New York, and reported on by The Cornell Sun, details the last night of Tsialas life and provides insight into the alleged Phi Kappa Psi rush practices. He was a remarkable young man who was taken from the world far too prematurely. Following the death of Tsialas, Cornell University President Martha Pollack announced several policy changes governing Greek activities at the Ivy League school. Family files lawsuit against university, fraternity after Cornell freshman found dead after party - WENY News Rush chairman Nolan Berkenfeld ’20, House manager Pietro Palazzolo Russo ’21, Shane Rohe ’21, who allegedly escorted Tsialas to the “dirty rush” event and Felipe Hanuch ’22, who the suit says invited Tsialas to the event, were also listed. No charges in death of Cornell freshman hazed at frat party. The police had previously referred the fraternity to the school's Greek life misconduct process, which resulted in the local chapter having its official status revoked permanently and 31 students being referred to the Judicial Administrator's Office for code of conduct violations. (...) On November 20, 2020, CUPD briefed the Tsialas family on the findings of the investigation and answered questions. Antonio Tsialas, 18, attended a Phi Kappa Psi "dirty rush" party at Cornell University on Oct. 24. The family has taken out three days of full-page advertisements in The Sun publicizing an award for $10,000 and has hired an Ithaca-based private investigator in their search for information for the Cornell first-year who was found dead in an Ithaca gorge. An autopsy report from the Tompkins County Health Department cited multiple traumatic injuries as the cause of Tsialas’ death, according to an email from Bianchi. The Sun reports that much of Cornell’s findings into the illegal and unauthorized hazing event align with what our firm has alleged in our lawsuit against Cornell University and other parties. The Ithaca Voice is an online-only nonprofit news site serving Ithaca and Tompkins County. Scherr and Hanuch declined to comment to The Sun. "If you don't bring hazing charges under the circumstances of this case, when are you ever going to enforce that law? Cornell desired an academic atmosphere in student residence “units” providing appropriate facilities for intellectual and cultural activities and by encouraging student participation in these pursuits. IV d/b/a/ The Irving Literary Society, and developed its parcel on Cornell's West Campus. We welcome the resolution of the case and the programmatic actions Cornell is implementing  through which Antonio’s memory will live on at Cornell, helping to promote the safety and well-being of our current and future students and, hopefully, bringing some solace to his family for their enduring loss.”. Bulletin: Lawsuit involving CORNELL UNIVERSITY, PHI KAPPA PSI FRATERNITY, INC., NEW YORK ALPHA OF Pm KAPPA PSI ASSOCIATION, INC., ANDREW SCHERR, SHANE ROHE, WILLIAM GRANATH, RYAN BERMAN, NOLAN BERKENFELD, PIETRO PALAZZOLO RUSSO, FELIPE HANUCH and JOHN JACOBS . January 7, 2021. in Uncategorized. CUPD provided the briefing with the sincere hope that it would provide some measure of closure to the family for their tragic loss.". Antonio Tsialas. Two days later, his body was found at Fall Creek gorge. The Sun’s request for comment to Cornell police was responded to by Cornell media relations, who provided The Sun with a statement at 11:35 a.m. on Wednesday. The Tompkins County District Attorney has additionally declined to press charges in relation to the event. A Cornell University freshman found dead in an upstate New York ravine in October attended a fraternity party with seven drinking rooms the night before he … ITHACA, N.Y.—Cornell University and the family of Antonio Tsialas have reached a settlement, ending  a nearly year-long lawsuit filed in January over Tsialas' death following a frat party in Oct. 2019. He can be reached by email at mbutler@ithacavoice.com. There were also other tenets that were agreed upon and Bianchi could announce, however: A perpetual scholarship will be awarded to an incoming student every year that will bear Antonio Tsialas' name; the annual anti-hazing program will be named the Antonio Tsialas Memorial Anti-Hazing Program; the school had to turn over the entire police investigation file since the case began and hold a Zoom conference with a contingent of attorneys representing the family discussing the investigation; Cornell is required to turn over the results of the internal disciplinary process against students who were involved in the party that preceded Tsialas' death, as well as the aforementioned financial payment. Phi Kappa Psi's executive director, Ronald Ransom II, said via email that the organization was aware of the lawsuit but had not been served and does not discuss pending litigation. Freshman were "encouraged or coerced" to drink large amounts of alcohol that… The party "Christmas in October," featured seven rooms of drinking games, according to a lawsuit. Following the death of Tsialas, Cornell University President Martha Pollack announced several policy changes governing Greek activities at the Ivy League school. The parents of Antonio Tsialas ’23 — a freshman who was found dead at the base of Fall Creek gorge in October — have filed a lawsuit against Cornell University, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and seven Cornell students. The lawsuit names 11 defendants including Cornell University, Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Inc., the chapter adviser and eight other fraternity officers and … No charges in death of Cornell freshman hazed at frat party. Cornell Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina issued the following statement in relation to the settlement. 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