Former Dartmouth College Students Cleared of Liability in 2016 Fire

Two former Dartmouth College students have been cleared of liability for 2016 fire, reports WCAX.

According to the report, the fire occurred in 2016 when two students inadvertently started a grill fire which gutted an entire residence hall. A Valley News report stated that Factory Mutual Insurance Co. paid Dartmouth before bringing a claim against the two students. The insurance claim, which Dartmouth was hoping to make the students reimburse, totaled $4.5 million.

Recently, a judge ruled in the students’ favor, stating that they were covered under the college’s fire insurance policy. Factory Mutual appealed this decision, pointing towards the fact that Dartmouth’s student handbook outlawed charcoal grills and open flames in student residence halls, and that violation of this policy “may” result in a student being held liable for any fire.

Again, the court rebuked this, siding with the students.