The family of Yaakov Ben-David, a rower who died while training with the Iowa State cub rowing team in 2021, has reached a $3.5 million settlement with the University and the State of Iowa, the Ames Tribune is reporting. Ben-David and teammate Derek Nanni, two ISU rowers, drowned in March 2021 when their coxed four capsized in high winds and cold water. As Rowing News reported previously, an independent review conducted by the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health determined after the fact that several safety guidelines were disregarded or not in place.
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Ben-David’s parents sued the state, ISU, and former ISU Assistant Director for Sports Clubs, Landon Wolfe, accusing the defendants of three counts of wrongful death and one count of loss of consortium. The $3.5 million agreement was filed on May 24 and will be finalized by the State Appeals Board in June. The Ames Tribune reports that, “the settlement agreement states that neither Iowa State nor the State of Iowa admits to wrongdoing. The agreement’s sole purpose is to ‘(resolve) the lawsuit as to avoid the burden, expense, delay and uncertainties of proceeding through a formal legal process.’”
