Fraternity Risk for Drinking Deaths Rises on Court Ruling
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A national fraternity with chapters on more than 125 campuses must stand trial over the drinking death of a Wabash College freshman, an Indiana court said in a ruling that may force the organizations to take more responsibility for misconduct at chapter houses.
The Indiana Court of Appeals on May 8 reinstated a lawsuit against Delta Tau Delta by the family of Johnny Dupree Smith. Smith, 18, was found dead on Oct. 5, 2008, his blood alcohol level five times the .08 percent limit for legal intoxication in Indiana. He had passed out during “Pledge Family Drink Night,” according to the complaint in the wrongful-death case.