Suit over Penn State student's death settled out of court

BELLEFONTE, Pa. - A lawsuit seeking to hold a State College landlord responsible for the death of a Pennsylvania State University student in a 2005 fire was settled out of court Tuesday.

The settlement was reached among attorneys in the hallways of the Centre County Courthouse as a hearing was about to begin on the issue of whether the case could get a fair trial here.

The suit was brought by William Raspanti of Fairless Hills, Bucks County, whose son, 21-year-old Christopher Raspanti, died after a night of partying with friends at his apartment.

Lawyers for the elder Raspanti said potential State College area jurors likely would be prejudiced against the case given the circumstances of the student's death and town-and-gown tensions over student partying at the school. They said jurors might not give due consideration to the circumstances of the fire, which about 50 other revelers escaped.

The elder Raspanti had sued the building's owners and managers.

Attorneys said terms of the settlement precluded any of the participants from discussing them.

"The settlement is confidential by agreement of all the parties," said Michael T. Sellers, who represented Raspanti.

Centre County Judge David Grine will hold a hearing in a few weeks on whether to approve the settlement. Lawyers said they would ask him to keep details secret at that time.