Jim and Evelyn Piazza have reached a settlement agreement with the national Beta Theta Pi fraternity, though specific compensation and terms related to the hazing death of their son at the local Penn State chapter will remain undisclosed.

The announcement on Tuesday marks the first civil action the Piazzas have taken in the fraternity hazing case. Their son, Timothy, suffered fatal injuries at the Alpha Upsilon chapter during a bid acceptance night ritual in February 2017.

“The settlement represents a unique, cooperative agreement, and is an outgrowth of the determined dedication by Jim and Evelyn Piazza to the cause of preventing hazing injury and death in greek life in the future,” Tom Kline, the Piazza family attorney, said in a statement. “By this settlement, the Piazzas and Beta help to establish a baseline for the new norm of fraternity pledging and fraternity life at universities and colleges in the United States.”

For nearly a year and a half, Jim and Evelyn Piazza have become fixtures in the Centre County Courthouse, watching the criminal side of the case unfold. Through four separate preliminary hearings, the most serious charges have continued to be dropped ahead of a sweeping February trial against former Beta Theta Pi members, including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.

The Piazzas have until Feb. 4, 2019 — exactly two years after their son’s death — to file other civil lawsuits. In an interview, Kline said the Piazzas intend to sue former members and institutions, possibly including Penn State.

“Those individuals who have been charged criminally are also individuals who will likely be named in a civil lawsuit,” Kline said.

The settlement between the Piazzas and Beta includes a 17-point fraternity-conduct Reform Agreement aimed at preventing future hazing tragedies. Requiring fraternity houses to be alcohol- and substance-free by August 2020, encouraging a live-in adviser, and implementing bystander intervention programs are among the stipulations.

The agreement outlines additional safety protocols, such as encouraging houses to install security cameras — a measure that was fundamental to capturing the events of the gauntlet obstacle course at Penn State.

“It is heartbreaking and numbing to know our former members let Tim and his family down in such a tragic way,” S. Wayne Kay, the Beta general secretary and chairman of the Board, said in a statement. "There will never be enough words to describe the pain they feel, and Betas everywhere join with me in expressing our shared anger and sorrow that this could have happened in our Fraternity.”

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