The parents of Carson Starkey filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the national organization of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), the local chapter and nine former members of the fraternity.

Starkey died last year after he was given large amounts of alcohol at a Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledge event known as “Brown Bag Night.”
The four former members of the fraternity who have been criminally charged for the incident are named in the lawsuit in addition to the officers of SAE at the time of the incident.

Ivo Labar, one of the lawyers representing Scott and Julia Starkey, said that they decided to file the lawsuit now to coincide with the beginning of school to raise awareness about the dangers of hazing.

The Starkey family has started a non-profit organization called With Carson, to help educate students about alcohol. A bill was also passed in Texas, Starkey’s home state, called the Carson Starkey Alcohol Awareness and Education Act.

Labar said that they have not asked for any money in the suit at this time.

Labar also said that other fraternities have been sued over wrongful deaths successfully in the past.

“The national fraternities do not take charge,” he said.

There is no outside supervision in these organizations; teenagers are supervising teenagers, he added.

Scott and Julia Starkey hired two different law firms, one from Washington D.C. and one from San Francisco. Both have experience in litigation involving fraternities.

“We will continue to honor Carson by doing everything we can to end widespread misconduct by fraternities,” said Scott Starkey in a press release. “By bringing this lawsuit, we hope to bring attention to the dangers of hazing, cause fundamental change in fraternities and prevent other families from suffering as we have.”