Wrongful Death

A hazing incident at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University has led to serious injuries for one freshman and the arrests of three people who broke the victim’s leg and caused other injuries. Tallahassee Police arrested three young men aged 19, 22 and 23 for felony battery for injuring the 18-year-old member of the school’s “Marching 100” band. In addition to a broken femur, the victim suffered blood clots and bruised bones in her legs. The victim said she suffered the beatings on October 31 and November 1 while the Marching 100 band was in Orlando to perform at halftime of the Florida Classic football game. Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham is closely following developments in this case, as it is distressingly similar to a similar hazing incident that claimed the life of a 26-year-old FAMU drum major who collapsed and died in October. Police suspect that hazing led to this victim’s death.

The victim told police that she suffered the physical abuse when she tried to join a band club called the “Red Dawg Order,” which includes members from Georgia. She said she was struck repeatedly by two of the members at a meeting of the club held at a member’s apartment. She said she was forced to lift her legs as if she was marching in the band and the three arrested men punched her on top of her thighs more than 20 times. The next day at another meeting in the same apartment, the victim and other pledges were beaten by two of the men because they could not recite information that they were supposed to remember about the club. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the State Board of Governors are investigating the incidents.

The beatings that the victim received and her injuries suggest a great deal more than hazing pranks. To James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury lawyers, the incidents sound a lot more like assault, and the victim may be able to pursue damages against the three individuals. Medical treatment for her injuries is likely to climb into the thousands of dollars, and damages awarded in a lawsuit or settlement could help her pay these bills while she attends college. If you have been assaulted and want to explore your legal options, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation. He has law offices conveniently located throughout Central Florida and works hard to help clients receive the fair and just compensation they deserve.

A 32-year-old Holly Hill man is facing murder charges after a 14-year-old boy died from a methadone overdose after finding the drug in the trash. The Volusia County State Attorney’s Office recently issued an indictment for the man for first-degree murder and a felony charge of delivering a controlled substance to a minor in connection with the boy’s death. The man is accused of driving the victim and another 17-year-old minor to Whitney Labs near Ormond Beach on Highway 1 early on the morning of May 24 and showing the boys how to find methadone the company has discarded in a dumpster.

Images from a surveillance video showed the 14-year-old victim walking to a dumpster outside the building and then waving the 17-year-old over. The older boy them climbed into the dumpster and was seen exiting the dumpster with two plastic bags filled with discarded methadone containers. Investigators say the accused and the boys then went to a home on Mayfield Circle, where they scraped methadone residue from each container. Police say the teens then took some of the methadone and then passed out. The 17-year-old told Orlando police that the victim had taken the prescription tranquilizer Xanax around 7 p.m. the previous evening. He told police that the accused had told the boy that it would be alright if he took the methadone because the Xanax “would be out of his system by now.” When the older boy woke up later on the morning of May 24, he was unable to wake his friend.

When a person’s negligence and/or unlawful actions lead to the death of another person, the victim’s family may be able to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault party. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham would like to remind readers that filing a wrongful death claim in Florida can be quite complicated. He recommends that a victim’s family schedule a consultation with him or another experienced Florida wrongful death attorney so that they can learn more about their options. If family members prefer to meet with Mr. Cunningham at one of his law offices throughout Central Florida, they can call him today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation to learn more about Florida wrongful death statutes.

Officials investigating circumstances surrounding Michael Jackson’s death have decided not to pursue charges against seven physicians who treated him before his death. There was a referral of the case of one doctor under investigation for prescribing medication to a Jackson alias to the California Medical Board. While there won’t be any filing of criminal charges against the doctors, their legal troubles may not be over. The Jackson estate can still pursue wrongful death claims against them for a variety of different circumstances that may have led to the entertainer’s death.
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