Duquesne University, Dannielle Brown reach settlement in her son's death

Dannielle Brown, the mother of a Duquesne University student who plummeted to his death from a dorm room window, has settled her claims against the university, according to a statement from her attorneys and the university.

Marquis Jaylen ‘JB’ Brown had just turned 21 when, after an evening at a friend’s off-campus apartment in October 2018, he began acting erratically back at his dorm, Brottier Hall, officials said. Campus security responded, and the chain of events ended when they said Brown picked up a chair, broke a window and jumped from the 16th-floor window.

Dannielle Brown began a high-profile hunger strike that lasted more than 200 days in protest of the circumstances surrounding her son’s death.

The terms of the settlement agreement, according to the university, will not be disclosed.

“Our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers will forever be with the Brown family,” university President Ken Gormley said in a statement late Thursday. “JB remains an important member of the Duquesne University community. The university will continue to take a proactive approach to cultivating a safe and socially conscious environment for our students.”

Dannielle Brown, who lived in Washington, D.C., at the time, arrived in Pittsburgh on July 4 and took up residence at Freedom Corner in the city’s Hill District during her hunger strike.

Brown’s attorneys, Paul Jubas and Max Petrunya, said she appreciates the condolences.

“Ms. Brown is pleased that the university has purchased body-worn cameras, enhanced its de-escalation training and enhanced other training for its officers,” the attorneys said in a statement.

Brown had demanded full access to the university’s investigative file on her son’s death, saying she wanted to do her own independent investigation. Leadership had contended it made the file available, but Brown balked at the redaction of some personal information and signing a confidentiality agreement.

She’d also called for the university to equip campus police officers with body-worn cameras and provide better training on de-escalation and mental health interventions.

Brown was hospitalized in early March, and she ended her hunger strike on her birthday, March 11, the same day she launched the Marquis Jaylen Brown Foundation, which will focus on improving transparency and accountability at colleges.

She’d been receiving medical treatment for the duration of her hunger strike, with a team making sure she received nutrients and hydration.

With the case at an end, her attorneys said, Brown “will now devote her focus and energy to a broader mission of achieving social justice through the Marquis Jaylen Brown Foundation.”

At about 10 p.m. the night of JB Brown’s death, the football player returned to his Brottier Hall dorm after playing video games at a friend’s off-campus apartment. His roommate reported he was behaving erratically, knocking over furniture in his room and slamming against the walls, the university has said.

Witnesses later told police JB Brown had “two puffs of marijuana” at the apartment, after which “it was like a switch flipped.”

Students in Brottier Hall called campus police, who arrived and tried to defuse the situation. They reported he was skipping down the halls before returning to the room, where police tried again to calm him down. Before anyone could react, JB Brown picked up a chair, smashed the room’s window and dove out, university and Pittsburgh police officials have said.

The medical examiner’s office reported marijuana in his system, though attorneys for the university have said there is no guarantee that toxicology tests would pick up a synthetic type of marijuana. They’ve said attempts to trace the origin of the drugs have been unsuccessful.