Sacred Heart University Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Sacred Heart University has settled a lawsuit over the death of a student during a 2017 eating contest, the Associated Press reported.

Caitlin Nelson

The school agreed to undisclosed terms with Rosanne Nelson, the mother of social work major Caitlin Nelson, 20, who died three days after choking on pancakes at an on-campus charity fundraiser.

Officials at Sacred Heart declined to comment on the settlement.

The pancake eating contest was intended to help Prevent Child Abuse America.

Sacred Heart approved the contest despite the potential dangers of quickly eating pancakes due to their thick density, the lawsuit claims, according to the AP. 

The school had denied wrongdoing and had filed a cross-complaint against its food services provider, AP reported.