Barksdale’s parents elected to file a wrongful death lawsuit against fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu and the chapter’s 2013 vice president, president and another chapter brother, after an autopsy indicated their son had died of alcohol poisoning. His BAC was four times over the legal limit.

According to court papers, chapter members handed the young man a 1.5-liter full bottle of vodka and forced him to drink it all. Apparently the fraternity chapter held the initiation party off campus because they knew there would be underage drinkers in attendance. The fraternity did not notify the university of the event.

Although 18-year-old Barksdale did not drink the whole bottle, he was severely intoxicated and collapsed at the party. Although fraternity brothers did realize Anthony was completely drunk, they took him outside and left him there, unattended. No one thought to seek medical assistance or call for emergency help.

Several hours later, Barksdale was brought back into the apartment building and deposited on the couch, but again, nothing was done to help him. It was not until he threw up that people realized he needed help and placed a call to 911. As emergency responders were on their way, another partygoer performed CPR and succeeded in temporarily reviving him. But he passed out once again and quit breathing. EMS arrived on the scene just after midnight but could not revive him. He died at the hospital.

The family hopes that their wrongful death lawsuit sends a strong, clear message that this kind of event should never happen again — to anyone.

In the meantime, the family had to deal with the pressing necessity of an expensive funeral and burial plus end of life medical assistance. They may find the right financial solution online by applying for a lawsuit loan from a litigation funding company.

Pre-settlement funding can be a lifesaver in situations like this one where the family is suddenly tasked with trying to find enough money to pay for unexpected bills. A lawsuit loan allows them to pay all of their expenses, including the usual and the extraordinary, while they take time to heal and consult with legal counsel for case preparation.

Daren Monroe writes for Litigation Funding Corp. To learn more about lawsuit funding and litigation funding, visit http://www.litigationfundingcorp.com/.

Robert Stern filed an affidavit with the court and then took his story to the press, telling The Associated Press (AP) that the compensation in the settlement may be going to the wrong people.

Stern told AP reporters that behavioral problems, including domestic violence, drug addiction and suicide, can all be caused by chronic traumatic encephalopathy — also known as CTE — a condition caused by repetitive head trauma.

Right now, doctors cannot physically diagnose CTE until after a patient has died. As such, it has been difficult to link football and CTE.

But a recent report on that link is causing a stir. PBS Frontline recently went in-depth on a new report from Boston University and the Department of Veterans Affairs, who collaborate within a center that studies CTE. The center studied the brains of 79 deceased NFL players and found evidence of CTE in 76 of them.

In addition, the center studied a range of other football players — high school, college and semi-professional. All told, more than 80 percent of all football players studied showed signs of CTE.

In light of the findings, which suggest a very strong link between football and CTE, Stern was troubled by the settlement deal in the NFL concussion case. He told the AP that repetitive head trauma does not lead to Alzheimer’s disease — a condition covered by the settlement. But serious mood and behavior disorders, which are linked to repetitive head trauma and CTE, are not covered. As such, many players who suffer the symptoms of significant neurological damage from football could be left out of the settlement.

Some NFL players have already opted out of the class-action case in order to file individual lawsuits against the NFL, according to ABC News.

The class action lawsuit against the NFL was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and is case number 2:12-md-02323-AB.

At The Hale Law Firm, we have helped thousands of clients successfully prosecute their personal injury claims including auto accidents, wrongful death, dangerous products, brain injuries, burn injuries, and defective medical devices. Clients depend on their personal injury lawyers for guidance and legal advice across a broad range of personal injury accidents. To learn more, visit http://www.hale911.com/ or call 972.351.0000.