According to Philly Articles, father of a dead 2002 Pennsylvania State University student is asking that the wrongful death lawsuit be moved away from Penn State’s hometown. Christopher Raspanti was about to graduate from Penn State when a fire swept through the off-campus house he shared with five other students. At least 50 party goers had jammed the three-story brick home that Saturday night. Everyone escaped the fire except 21-year-old Raspanti.
Raspanti’s father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Penn State, alleging the school’s national reputation as a hard partying school had contributed to his son’s death.
The father’s attorney has asked that the case be moved out of the hometown where Penn State’s campus is located. They contend that community bias against student body is so intense that an impartial jury cannot be found in the county. The plaintiff alleges that Penn State’s late night partying is no secret and that Playboy ranked it as the number-two party school in the nation.
In asking that the trial be moved, Raspanti’s attorneys cited the campus’ hard partying culture and asserted that the resulting animosity precludes a fair and impartial trial in Centre County. Such is an unusual request in a wrongful death lawsuit, as mostly defendants claim that an impartial jury cannot be found. An Orlando injury lawyer can answer your questions about wrongful death cases.