Northeastern University student sues sorority and landlord over fall from window
BOSTON — A Northeastern University student and her parents are suing a fraternity, the chapter president and a landlord after the student fell from a window during a party and suffered serious injuries.
Sarah Cox, then a sophomore at Boston University and a member of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, fell from a window during a party in March 2023, according to court documents. The document states that the kitchen of the apartment where the party was taking place was full and that Cox fell at least 20 feet (6 meters) to a driveway below.
Cox’s injuries are “catastrophic” and she will require “one-on-one care 24 hours a day, seven days a week on an ongoing basis,” the lawsuit says. Cox and her parents are trying $10.2 million in their lawsuitThe Boston Globe reported.
The lawsuit, filed in March in a Massachusetts court, alleges that the defendants were negligent in failing to take steps to prevent the fall and injuries. The landlord failed to prevent tenants from allowing too many people in at once, and the fraternity president should have known that alcohol would be consumed at the party and that it could create unsafe conditions, court documents state.
“As a direct and proximate result of this Defendant’s breach of these duties, Plaintiff Sarah Cox has suffered and continues to suffer from serious and catastrophic injuries,” the documents state.
James Kelly, the attorney named in the Cox lawsuit, did not respond to requests for comment. Attorneys for the defendants also did not respond to requests for comment.
The defendants are seeking a dismissal of the lawsuit, which will return to court next month, the Globe reported.
Defense attorneys wrote in court papers that the Cox family has not said how or why she fell from the window and that they have no evidence to prove negligence.
“Plaintiffs merely allege that all Defendants were somehow responsible for the multitude of alleged conduct, without any allegations as to what actually caused the fall,” attorneys William Eveland and Ellen Mannion wrote in court documents in June.
The lawsuit states that the sorority used the apartment as a sorority house and that Cox was a member of the sorority. The lawsuit names both the national sorority and its Northeastern University chapter.
A GoFundMe set up in Cox’s name had raised nearly $130,000 of its $150,000 goal as of Wednesday. The GoFundMe notes that Sarah had hoped to become a doctor and had just returned from her third international medical mission trip, which was dedicated to helping people with limited access to medical care.
The GoFundMe says it was set up by Cox’s brother, Syed Ali, who wrote that the money raised will go toward medical expenses and long-term rehabilitation.
“She still has a long road to recovery, but we are praying that she will pull through this and get back on track to fulfill her life’s purpose of helping others,” Ali wrote.