Notice of appeal filed in Riley Strain wrongful death lawsuit

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Family members of former University of Missouri student Riley Strain on Tuesday filed a notice of appeal in the wrongful death lawsuit that was fully dismissed last month.

Strain died during a fraternity trip to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2024. Strain’s family sued the Delta Chi fraternity and its members, claiming the chapter did not follow its protocols for keeping members safe.

Strain was kicked out of a bar the night of March 8, 2024, and video showed him walking through downtown Nashville by himself, previous reporting shows.

His body was later discovered floating in the Cumberland River on March 22, 2024. Strain’s autopsy and toxicology report showed that alcohol contributed to his accidental drowning. Nashville police stated that "no foul-play-related trauma was observed" after Strain’s body was found.

Multiple rounds of dismissals occurred for the defendants in the case, with a December ruling stating “ [The court] is unaware of any court in the United States which has recognized the existence of a so-called 'special relationship' that might give rise to a claim for damages based on a duty owed by one adult fraternity member to another due to their shared status as 'fraternity brothers.”

The notice of appeal challenges the judge’s claim: “Whether the Circuit Court erred in dismissing plaintiffs' First Amended Petition on a motion for judgment on the pleadings that pied theories of liability against each defendant other than a ‘special relationship’, including theories of general negligence, agency, and abandonment,” the notice says.

It also challenges the liability claims. The notice was filed in the Western District of Missouri.