Suit Filed By Parents of California University Student In Hazing Death

The parents of a California State University, Fresno freshman who died in 2012 of alcohol poising while pledging for a fraternity have filed a wrongful death suit against the fraternity and several of its members.

Paul and Diane Dhanens, parents of 18-year-old Philip Dhanens of Bakersfield, filed the suit against the Indiana-based Theta Chi Fraternity Inc., the local Beta Upsilon chapter, and six members of the fraternity. The suit was announced Friday by San Francisco-based law firm Kerr & Wagstaffe.

Three Fresno State students were charged last week with hazing and providing alcohol to Dhanens, who was only a couple weeks into his first semester when he died.

The coroner’s office found that he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.36, nearly five times the legal driving limit.