UNC student Chandler Kania was convicted of killing three people – Darlene McGee, Felicia Harris King and six-year-old Jahnice Beard – while driving drunk in 2015.
Kania was driving the wrong way on I-85 when he hit their car head-on.
Families of those killed filed a civil lawsuit on top of the criminal charges against Kania. The lawsuit included his parents and two bars accused of selling an underage Kania alcohol the night of the crash: He’s Not Here and La Residence. Kania’s parents and He’s Not Here have already settled out of court, according to documents.
In Kania’s lawsuit, 15 more defendants were added, including his former fraternity the Delta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, two friends and two other UNC students. La Residence is still listed on the lawsuit.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Carl Fox granted motions in March to amend the existing civil lawsuits – claiming the fraternity gave licenses of former members to underage current members so they could drink while underage, that Kania smoked marijuana the night of the crash in front of the fraternity’s president and that the fraternity regularly permitted drug use and underage drinking.
Kania has already been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in criminal court in October. An Orange County judge sentenced him to up to 16 years in prison.
The fatal crash occurred on July 19, 2015. Along with the three killed, nine-year-old Jahnia King was injured. Kania’s blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit.
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