Boise State student, former Bronco football player settle lawsuit over fight

Two Boise State University freshmen got into a fight in a campus dorm last October. One of them, Ben Taylor, an 18-year-old Honors College student, appeared from photos that circulated afterward to have suffered serious injuries, including black eyes and a broken nose.

Taylor accused 18-year-old Jace Richter of battery, hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit. Richter, who was a member of the BSU football team when the altercation occurred, filed a countersuit, which asserted that Taylor had been the aggressor and that some of his injuries, including a broken arm, were from an earlier fight with another person.

Taylor and Richter finally reached a settlement in late August, and they asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuits, according to court records. The suits were dismissed with prejudice, which means there won’t be any future action.

The terms of the settlement were not available in court documents.

David Claiborne, attorney for Taylor, said he wasn’t authorized to disclose those details. Richter’s attorney, Nick Crawford, did not respond to a request for comment. The parties agreed to cover their own costs and attorney fees, court records show.

Taylor’s medical bills were in excess of $10,000, Claiborne said last year.

The freshman dorm fight, which occurred in the wee hours of Oct. 8, drew wide public attention after photos of Taylor in a hospital bed — his neck in a brace and his face bruised and swollen — began appearing on social media and in news reports.

Police investigated the incident, and prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges against Richter.

Richter, who came to Boise State from Meridian, was released from the football team soon after Taylor’s allegations were publicized. Richter announced on social media in January that he planned to transfer to Idaho State University, and he is now playing for the ISU football team.

Claiborne was not authorized to release any updates about Taylor.

Katy Moeller: 208-377-6413

This story was originally published October 12, 2018 at 10:58 PM.