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Iowa board approves payment for student suicide jury verdict

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October 7th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state panel that approves payment for lawsuits and legal settlements for the state of Iowa has approved payment of $315,000 to the parents of an Iowa State University student who died by suicide in November 2015. A jury in August found the state partially liable for the death of Dane Schussler. The lawsuit alleged the state failed to provide adequate mental health services.

Schussler had received counseling at the university for anxiety and depression before he was found dead on railroad tracks in Ames. The Iowa attorney general’s office recommended no appeal and payment of the jury verdict. It was approved by the Iowa State Appeal Board on Monday.