Parents of 2 JMU Students File $150M Wrongful Death Suits in Response to 2023 Car Accident

In January of this year, Mardis’ father, Howard Mardis, filed a $150 million lawsuit in Henrico Circuit Court, saying his son’s death was the result of hazing, excessive drug use and excessive drinking. The suit also asserts that members conspired to keep the circumstances of the wreck secret. A week later, Fergusson’s father and Troutman’s mother also filed lawsuits against the fraternity, its founder and members, each also asking for $150 million. The suits make similar claims, that their children put their lives in the hands of a negligent fraternity called Pi Beta Chi. Television station WRIC first reported the additional suits on Thursday. On the night of Feb. 2, 2023, a group of JMU fraternity students traveled to a strip club called Paradise City Gentleman’s Club in Mathias, West Virginia, an event the fraternity held each semester, the suits claim. A group of students were designated drivers. Fergusson and Troutman had served as designated drivers a year earlier and took the responsibility seriously by remaining sober, the suits assert. All three suits were filed by the same law firms, The Fierberg National Law Group and the Richmond-based Cantor Grana Buckner Bucci.