Riley Strain‘s fraternity brothers will not be held liable for the 22-year-old’s death in Nashville two years ago. A judge has dismissed the lawsuit.
- Riley Strain went missing on March 8, 2024 after being kicked out of Luke Bryan‘s Luke’s 32 Bridge Bar on Broadway.
- He was with in Nashville for the Delta Chi spring formal.
- His body was found in the Cumberland River two weeks later. His cause of death was drowning and ethanol intoxication.
Riley Strain Lawsuit Details:
Strain’s family filed the wrongful death lawsuit in March 2025, naming 32 people as defendants. Among those were Delta Chi chapter presidents, recruitment chairs and more.
Among the allegations was that Strain was peer pressured into attending the formal and that the fraternity members broke their own alcohol polices by serving alcoholic beverages with more that 15% ABV.
Related: 11 Things We Learned From Riley Strain’s Lawsuit
Several people shared that Strait appeared to be very intoxicated as the afternoon and evening wore on. The group partied during the bus ride to Nashville and then visited several Lower Broadway honky-tonks before Strain was asked to leave Luke’s 32 Bridge Bar.
While video surveillance showed fraternity members going with him to the exit of the bar, no one left with him. That left Strain to walk back to his hotel all alone.
He immediately went the wrong way and ended up walking a path along the Cumberland River. He walked north for quite awhile. It’s not clear how he ended up in the river but police ruled out foul play.
Several defendants were dismissed from the lawsuit in 2025 but the case was dismissed in its entirety on July 7, per the Kansas City Star. The court said it was “unaware of any court in the United States which has recognized the existence of a so-called ‘special relationship’ that might give rise to a claim for damages based on a duty owed by one adult fraternity member to another.”
Strain was a senior at Mizzou. The lawsuit was filed by his mother, Michelle Whiteid, his stepfather, Chris Whiteid, his father, Ryan Gilbert and his stepmother, Melissa Gilbert,
R.I.P.: 40 Country Singers and Songwriters Who Died Too Soon
These country singers had so much more to give. See 40 country singers who died much too soon: Keith Whitley, Mindy McCready, Troy Gentry and more.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Remembering the Country Stars Who Died in 2026
So far in 2026, country fans have mourned the deaths of a few of their favorite musicians and other large-looming figures of pop culture. Keep reading to remember the singers, musicians, actors and other notable figures we’ve lost so far this year.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
