Yale Frat Death: 86 Frat Members Sued For Nancy Barry Death
86 Yale frat members are being sued over a dangerous tailgating incident which led to the death of 30-year-old Nancy Barry in 2011. The tailgating, which seemed like a good idea to the guys on the truck at the time, not only ended in the death of Barry but also saw two women injured.
The Barry family were understandably very upset when the driver of the frat truck, Brendan Ross, entered a probation program which resulted in all criminal charges against him being dropped.
The Barry’s and the family of Sarah Short, one of the woman injured in the incident, have already filed lawsuits against the truck driver, the national chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Yale and U-Haul. Those lawsuits remain pending.
The latest suit, which was filed on Dec 30, holds all 86 former and current Yale frat members responsible. The lawsuit is against the Sigma Phi Epsilon national chapter and is to be fought out by insurers.
Paul Edwards, the lawyer for Barry’s estate, said the lawsuit against the 86 previous and current members was legitimate saying it was: “a move that we were forced to take by the defense and the posturing of the national fraternity’s lawyers.”
He continued: “They are effectively cutting off its local chapter and members. I think that defense is bogus. It’s our claim that what happened at Yale two years ago was very clearly, definitively and obviously a Sigma Phi Epsilon-sponsored fraternity event.”
Joel Faxon, Short’s attorney, also agreed that the national chapter is liable in the case: “It’s a completely unnecessary effort we’ve gone through that caused unnecessary agitation to all of the individuals we had to sue and no doubt their families,” he said.
It remains to be seen what the outcome of the Yale frat death lawsuit will be and whether or not the 86 frat members, as well as the national chapter, will be held liable for damages.
