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It is SO EASY to bring a lawsuit against a fraternity and win! When I was
at Vandy, chapter officers had to attend a seminar that included a
mock trial at Vandy law school. The lawyers explained how easy it is
to win against a frat, using meaningless points that make the jury hate
fraternities.
Here was the mock trial, against the local Pike chapter:
An independent drank in his room, went to a Pike party where he drank
some more (supposedly he "brought his own bottle"), then went back to his room,
drank some more, then got
in his car and drove, then smashed his car in an accident. This was
a true story at Vandy, and no one was hurt. (They said the guy
was so drunk, he was so 'loose', even he wasn't hurt bad, though
his car was a pile of crunched metal!) For the case, they
added that the wreck was a head-on crash with a family where
a little girl was killed.
Was Pike responsible??? The jury would say YES! according to the
lawyers.
In the trial, they asked questions like:
- Your fraternity was founded by ex-Confederate officers?? (answer yes)
- There was a band at the party. How much did you pay for the band?
(answer $7,000)
- How much do your members pay in dues each year? (answer over $1,000)
What was the point?? To make the jury think the "frat boys" were
rich racist party boys who didn't care about others. The lawyers pointed
out that typical juries consist of many poor and/or black people, who
unlike many others, can not wiggle out of jury duty. Such questions make
the jury hate the "frat boys" and want to "stick it to 'em" even if they
weren't really responsible for what happened.
An interesting seminar.
"... and Justice for All"
Last edited by JoinerLxa; 11-15-2006 at 12:41 PM.
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