$520 Million Lawsuit Filed Against San Jose State Following The Death Of A Sigma Chi
The parents of a San Jose State Sigma Chi who was found dead in his chapter house back in 2008 are suing the university for a whopping $520 million.
From Spartan Daily:
Denise Johnson and Gregory Johnson Sr. are claiming negligent infliction of emotional distress and civil rights abuses in their complaint filed at the federal court building in San Francisco. In addition to the $520 million in damages, the family is demanding a trial by jury.
The body of 20-year-old kinesiology major Gregory Johnson Jr. was found in the basement of the Sigma Chi Fraternity house on Nov. 22, 2008 by fellow fraternity member Michael Laris.
The filed complaint asserts the lack of ligature marks on Gregory Johnson Jr.’s neck implies he was hung after he was already dead, and further questions a “six-inch crack” the family claims to have found in the back of Gregory Johnson Jr.’s skull. The complaint goes on to state, however, that a coroner told the family the head injury occurred as part of the autopsy process.
The Santa Clara County medical examiner’s autopsy report states the cause of death as a ligature hanging.
This is just an extremely eerie story all around. Michael Laris apparently gave two conflicting accounts of how he discovered the body to police, the family wasn’t notified of the death until several hours after law enforcement arrived at the house, and there are several other inconsistencies that were revealed throughout the investigation.
We’ll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds..
[via Spartan Daily]
Image via Youtube
While this sounds like a sad situation all around, 520 million is clearly an attempt at a large money grab by the family, thus making this case laughable.
11 years ago at 6:01 pmIt’s common practice to sue for a ridiculous amount, it really has no bearing in a case. At the firm I work at, people sue for $50 million when they trip and fall on a sidewalk, with minimal damages.
11 years ago at 6:11 pmIf the police have not brought charges in 5 years, does this case even have merit?
11 years ago at 6:17 pmIIRC a civil pursuit has a lower burden of proof. For example, a civil court found the government culpable for MLK’s assassination
11 years ago at 6:32 pmYep, a civil case just needs a preponderance of evidence while of course criminal cases need beyond a reasonable doubt. Preponderance of evidence can be described as Evidence>50%= Preponderance of evidence.
11 years ago at 6:37 pmYa, we use a lower standard of guilt in both civil cases… and as of recently…
11 years ago at 7:21 pmStatute of limitations certainly wouldnt have run its course in this particular case.
11 years ago at 6:57 pmStatute of limitations in a civil claim can be extended through a simple motion, especially if there is reason to believe something fishy happened with the crime scene or coroner’s office.
11 years ago at 9:27 pmDepends on how long the statute of limitations is in the state. I would assume the attorneys they hired know the statute.
11 years ago at 7:03 pmThere is no statute of limitations in murder cases.
11 years ago at 10:47 pmThis isn’t a murder trial but a civil case. I’m assuming it’s a wrongful death suit with other negligence involved.
11 years ago at 11:05 pmI think it’s that suing for 520 million makes for a better headline, increasing interest in reading the story so people are informed about it. Actually suing for that much and expecting to get it is just silly.
11 years ago at 6:17 pmYour name disgusts me.
11 years ago at 6:26 pmIt’s called punitive damages. Take a fucking law class.
11 years ago at 7:46 pmWhy does it always have to be about race? The kid being black shouldn’t have any affect on what goes on here.
11 years ago at 6:15 pmWho said anything about race? You’re the only one bringing race into this, and the “kid being black” WOULDN’T have any affect if it weren’t for race baiters like yourself proselytizing a false sense of victimhood whenever something like this happens.
11 years ago at 6:21 pm11 upvotes within 1 min of your comment…how many accounts do you have, champ
11 years ago at 6:28 pmPeople like that deserve to be IP banned, not the freedom fighters that were massacred.
11 years ago at 6:36 pmRIP
Still don’t understand how they banned so many loyal users.
11 years ago at 6:41 pmOne, and if you think my main objective is to get upvotes then you clearly haven’t seen any of my comments.
11 years ago at 6:40 pmYeah, you say some stupid shit sometimes.
11 years ago at 6:43 pmI call bullshit. Only 20 more upvotes in the next 30 mins, but 11 in the first min. Get the fuck out of here.
11 years ago at 6:54 pmIt’s worse at TSM. Some of those girl writers create new accounts and compliment themselves about how awesome the article is. I’ve seen a Hot Piece comment appear and within two minutes she had twenty up votes while all of the other comments remain the same.
11 years ago at 7:02 pmExactly. Dorn is guilty of this as well. I’ve seen negative comments about him get 50 down votes in a minute, while all others remained the same.
11 years ago at 7:26 pmYou’re just as bad as a race baiter. No evidence whatsoever, just making a blind accusation that carries a presumption of truth so now I’m forced to defend myself. The burden of proof is on you since you are making the charge. 11 upvotes in the first minute is what you are basing this on? Every day on this site there’s a comment that gets off to a start that fast. Since you are trying to discredit me why don’t you go look at some of my comments and see for yourself. I always try to be original, I side more with people who are getting lapped than people who are getting up voted, I rarely have top comment unlike FrockItch who actually was doing what you are accusing me of doing, and I am always challenging the accepted truths and standards of people here. Also, stop impersonating Boulevard.
11 years ago at 7:11 pmI stand by statement. It’s not like I’d expect you to admit it. You keep doing you…ya big Fifth Year stud.
11 years ago at 7:33 pmYou did well. Give yourself a pat on the back. Make a ridiculous assertion about someone because they got a surge of upvotes on one comment and can’t back it up any further. If that’s what passes for a winning argument nowadays I’ll gladly take the L.
11 years ago at 7:57 pmThe comment deserves those up votes and more. Few things piss me off more than race-baiters
11 years ago at 6:41 pmThe family pressing charges did… They accused the university of “civil rights abuses.”
11 years ago at 8:58 pmThis is not about race. Sigma Chi VOTED to make him one of their own, which means they judged him by the content of his character and not his skin, bro.
11 years ago at 6:47 pmThat would be a horrible experience to walk in a room where somebody was hanging from the ceiling. Rest in peace. Hopefully there was no foul play.
11 years ago at 6:38 pmMen,
We have an emergency. TSM has finally drank the Kook-Aid. Hot Piece just posted an article about campus rapist culture that is worse than anything a Liberal Feminazi had ever written.
This article is on the same level of bad as the Rolling Stone article.
http://totalsororitymove.com/the-sobering-trailer-for-this-new-documentary-on-campus-rape-is-bone-chilling/
11 years ago at 8:53 pm“More terrifying, though, is …their unwillingness to believe that something so horrific is happening on college campuses, and the lengths at which administrations of universities will go to cover them up for fear of a scandal.”
As gentlemen, it’s important we do what we can to protect women; take the somewhat skewed data and liberal media perspective with the grain(s) of salt they more than deserve.
11 years ago at 9:25 pmBoth of you shut the fuck up. idgaf what hot piece posted. There’s a time and a place to post and discuss something like that and it’s not here and it’s not now. Show some fucking respect for a fallen brother. Christ.
11 years ago at 12:43 amGenuinely curious, how could there be no foul play if he died by hanging? Autoerotic asphyxiation sounds plausible but he was in the communal basement not in his room.
11 years ago at 9:14 pmWell suicide certainly isn’t out of the question. That’s my initial assumption when I think of a hanging. But I don’t want to assume anything especially of that nature.
11 years ago at 10:07 pmNever know with these monkeys..
11 years ago at 8:52 amFuck off skud.
11 years ago at 10:46 amShit like that is what gives Fraternities a bad name… Go fuck your cousin
11 years ago at 11:29 amAlright, big ticklemyfrock, I’ll punch you in your motherfucking face right now.
11 years ago at 7:00 pmI don’t know what happened, but I do hope he rests well in the chapter eternal. All honor to his name.
11 years ago at 7:55 pmI don’t care what you guys think, and lap me if you please, but no man should die so early, especially from hanging. I find it disheartening that some of you folks care about his race or how much his family is suing for. His death is a horrible event, and we should all pray for him and his family. Rest in peace.
11 years ago at 9:20 pmI think you misread the article a little bit. It said they believe he was hung after death. If there is one thing worse than being hung alive, it is being disrespected and hung after death. Regardless, an awful tragedy.
11 years ago at 6:37 amI didn’t misread. It’s disgraceful that the evidence shows he was hung after he was dead. That’s some fucked up shit right there.
11 years ago at 11:29 amMay he rest in peace, gone far too soon. I hope more information comes out about what happened though. Over 500 million dollars seems a bit excessive.
11 years ago at 10:00 pmSad to hear of a brother going so soon. All honor to his name. I hope that his family can find peace, and some kind of answers regarding their son’s death.
11 years ago at 12:50 amNever know when a monkey’s gonna get caught in a vine when swinging through the trees
11 years ago at 8:53 amAre you fucking retarted or something? Have some respect you scumbag. What if that was your brother, assuming you’re in a fraternity and aren’t some GDI, High School try hard fuck.
11 years ago at 12:31 pm