Found Deceased TN - Riley Strain, 22, missing after leaving bar, Nashville, 8 March 2024 #4

[SMK777]

I don't think the lawsuit will go far. Riley was an adult. He made the decision to go on the trip, he chose to drink. While his death is a tragic loss, no one forced Riley to do anything.

moo

I think also because the fraternity brothers were the same age as him and were not designated to chaperone him it's difficult to see how a jury would find them culpable.

He was thrown out of the bar by his own actions and that's where the trouble began. Whether someone was legally responsible for getting him back to the hotel safely is a murky question.

 

[Tutter]

I do not like or even understand fraternities and the heavy drinking culture. I think it is stupid and unhealthy and often dangerous.

Now, as a youngster I drank unfortunately, so I understand that part. But by the time I was 22 I was done with the getting drunk as entertainment phase. Why is it only fun if you are drunk!? Every fraternity event is a drunk fest, imo. I would outlaw them if I could. I see no benefit for our young people.

Moo

 

[Megnut]

Perhaps the lawsuit isn't about winning in court or even collecting money; maybe it's a power move to shut down the fraternity and/or put a spotlight on reckless, organized drinking.

The start of change.

JMO

 

[Cryptic]

How do you think the litigation will go?

I am thinking "the standard":

- Announced dramatic amount by the injury attorney (serves as a form of free advertising).

- Eventually a sealed "go away" settlement that is likely far, very far lower than the initially announced hype figure.

I feel sorry for the families of the individual fraternity members who are also being sued. Though they may well be not liable at all- predatory lawsuits cost nothing to file. Defending against them, however, costs money. This gives the injury attorneys their historic leverage.

 

[SMK777]

Perhaps the lawsuit isn't about winning in court or even collecting money; maybe it's a power move to shut down the fraternity and/or put a spotlight on reckless, organized drinking.

The start of change.

JMO

Good point.

 

[Cryptic]

Perhaps the lawsuit isn't about winning in court or even collecting money; maybe it's a power move to shut down the fraternity and/or put a spotlight on reckless, organized drinking.

The start of change.

Color me cynical cinnamon, but I seriously doubt the injury attorney is on a social crusade of any kind.

Rather, he / she is after cash- even if it is far less than any drama figure that is initially announced. Any and all settlements add to the bottom line.

 

[Cryptic]

From KMIZ ABC 17 News. Extended video of Riley. He seems to be at that bar a lot. For being served two drinks and two waters. Surely they don’t charge for water?

I doubt they did as it was at a "traditional bar". But.... my adult daughter tells me that night / dance clubs charging for water are increasingly the norm.

A small, but increasing number of restaurants do it here in DFW. In the end, it could be evidence of the industry going "global". Not offering tap water and charging for bottled water is evidently the norm in a certain number of other developed nations that have good tap water.

Curious why in a few scenes he had to sign some sort of long paper bill and in others they just swiped his card.

I think the explanation could be whether RS formally tabbed out or not.

Large bars in tourist areas routinely swipe cards in advance to avoid drink / dine and dashers. Upon leaving, the customer can ask for a formal "tab out".

They are then given a receipt to sign and they can leave a customized tip. But.... the customer can also just leave. The bar then auto charges his /her card and applies the more generous 20% tip.

 

[Sundog]

MAR 21, 2025

Riley Strain’s parents file wrongful death lawsuit against Delta Chi Fraternity members

The parents of Riley Strain have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against 30 named members of the Delta Chi Fraternity at the University of Missouri and two no-named individuals.

www.ky3.com

The parents of Riley Strain have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against 30 named members of the Delta Chi Fraternity at the University of Missouri and two unnamed individuals.

The lawsuit states several times the fraternity was negligent and careless of its written policies in reference to what happened to Riley.

Riley’s parents are demanding a jury trial.

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/family-of-riley-strain-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-delta-chi-fraternity/

The lawsuit states that Strain boarded a charter bus from Columbia, Missouri, to Nashville, where Delta Chi members provided beer and “pre-made alcoholic Jello shots using vodka, well in excess of 15% ABV.” It claims that Strain was offered multiple drinks despite fraternity policies that should have prohibited such conduct.

Shortly after arriving in Nashville, according to the lawsuit, several fraternity members noticed Strain was behaving unusually, struggling to speak, walk and interact with others. By the evening, Strain was described as “visually incoherent.” The lawsuit states, “He was leaning against walls to stay upright, stumbling up and down steps, was completely unable to speak or communicate, and needed help.”

Family of Riley Strain files wrongful death lawsuit against fraternity

Riley Strain was found dead in Nashville, Tennessee, after going missing on a trip with fraternity members. His family is suing Delta Chi and 30 members of the University of Missouri fraternity, alleging wrongful death.

www.komu.com

The lawsuit alleges that the fraternity officers and members were negligent, careless or reckless. The lawsuit alleges the members planned a formal that would be fueled by alcohol, pressured Strain into going to the formal, encouraged Strain to consume alcoholic beverages throughout the day he went missing, allowed him to continue drinking after noticing he was intoxicated, and did not help Strain back to the hotel, arrange a ride for him when he was kicked out of the bar, or call emergency services that night to report him missing.

The lawsuit names two members of the Board of Chapter Advisors, who are named as Jane Doe and John Doe, and alleges they were negligent by allowing the fraternity members to host the formal and failing to provide supervision and transportation for fraternity members at the formal.

Sounds like there is a possible case to be made against the fraternity, IMO. Especially if this fraternity has had violations against it in the past either at the same university or across the country. Our university was recently sued by the parents of a student, not just the fraternity itself being sued. The fraternity did not follow its own policies, and the university employee who was charged with being the advisor to the fraternity was found to be negligent in that s/he was aware of the fraternity not following its own policies and failed to report it, thus putting the university at risk with the lawsuit, as s/he represented the university. It was an enormous amount of money, but the parents were relentless, they were a wealthy couple, this was their only child, and their grief was driving them as they uncovered the lack of appropriate supervision regarding policy implementation at the levels of both national fraternity, local fraternity and also the university oversight. So I wouldn't be surprised if Reilly's parents prevailed in their lawsuit at some level. These kinds of lawsuits have become increasingly visible over the last few years against national and local fraternities, universities and colleges, and have strong support from many state legislatures as well. JMO

 

[NCWatcher]

Sounds like there is a possible case to be made against the fraternity, IMO. Especially if this fraternity has had violations against it in the past either at the same university or across the country. Our university was recently sued by the parents of a student, not just the fraternity itself being sued. The fraternity did not follow its own policies, and the university employee who was charged with being the advisor to the fraternity was found to be negligent in that s/he was aware of the fraternity not following its own policies and failed to report it, thus putting the university at risk with the lawsuit, as s/he represented the university. It was an enormous amount of money, but the parents were relentless, they were a wealthy couple, this was their only child, and their grief was driving them as they uncovered the lack of appropriate supervision regarding policy implementation at the levels of both national fraternity, local fraternity and also the university oversight. So I wouldn't be surprised if Reilly's parents prevailed in their lawsuit at some level. These kinds of lawsuits have become increasingly visible over the last few years against national and local fraternities, universities and colleges, and have strong support from many state legislatures as well. JMO

You are probably right. The main issue will be the existence of fraternity policies that weren't followed-- even if the policies might seem infantilizing for fraternity members like 22-year old RS who was a legal adult & past the minimum age to enlist in the military, marry, buy alcohol,.enter into contracts, etc.

I seem to remember that the trip last year was RS's second fraternity trip to Nashville. I cannot find a link though (especially among all the new breaking news lawsuit links.) Assuming my memory is accurate (big if!), I wonder what happened on that first trip? Obviously RS didn't die, but I wonder if he and/or other students were "protected" on that trip by fellow frat members? Did he act as a protector or only as the protected? Assuming it existed, will that first trip be a factor in the lawsuit? Or if it didn't exist, will other trips taken by the fraternity be relevant even if they didn't involve RS?
MOO

 

[Sundog]

Color me cynical cinnamon, but I seriously doubt the injury attorney is on a social crusade of any kind.

Rather, he / she is after cash- even if it is far less than any drama figure that is initially announced. Any and all settlements add to the bottom line.

I do think that the attorney that the parents have hired is likely to have the goal of helping to stop alcohol-related deaths involving fraternities on university and college campuses. The lawsuits like this that I have seen have involved some of the best and well-respected attorneys in the area and they absolutely have a social mission and the best interests of students and their parents in mind. They are not after cash, but accountability, and settlement money is often used to help the families establish foundations that are committed to eradicating needless deaths that occur as a result of fraternity alcohol abuse on college campuses.

Also, you need high-powered attorneys to bring these cases forward, because as a parent you would be up against the university lawyers who have endless legal resources that include both the university attorneys and also the attorneys at the state level who support the public universities. All funded by taxpayers and with endless resources. So a parent would need to go up against that.

AJMO and experience