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August 30, 2010
Summary Judgment Obtained in National Fraternity Case

In a matter of first impression in the State of Connecticut, Halloran & Sage Attorney Paul Meade recently obtained a summary judgment in a case in which a national fraternity was accused of negligence and recklessness for its inability to control underage drinking at a chapter’s fraternity house. The plaintiffs alleged that their son was illegally served alcohol at the fraternity house, left the party in an intoxicated state and was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while crossing the street. The plaintiffs alleged that the fraternity failed to properly supervise its local chapter to prevent underage drinking and that members of the local fraternity were officers, employees or agents of the national fraternity. The fraternity responded that it did not possess a property interest in the house where the party took place, it did not know about or authorize underage drinking, and it did not control the chapter’s day-to-day activities. The court, in its summary judgment decision, concluded that the national fraternity did not have a duty to control the conduct of the local chapter and to prevent underage drinking.

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Paul D. Meade
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Individuals & Families