The parents of missing Indiana University student Lauren Spierer have filed a lawsuit against three men just days before a statute of limitations expires.
Corey Rossman, Jason Rosenbaum and Michael Beth are named in the lawsuit. They're accused of providing alcohol to Spierer that night, but ultimately failing to look after her, leading to her disappearance and likely death.
"Rob and Charlene Spierer authorized the filing of this lawsuit with great reluctance and only after we counseled them that they would lose certain legal rights if not exercised by the two-year anniversary of Lauren's disappearance. We hope no one will misinterpret this action. Any parent in search of information about a missing child would use every resource available to them. Therefore, we intend to use the rights afforded by the civil justice system to obtain answers to questions that have gone unanswered for too long. We fully expect that those with relevant information will cooperate with this process," said Jason R. Barclay, the Spierer's attorney.
Indiana has a two-year statute of limitations for civil filings in injury or wrongful death. The filing comes just a few days before the deadline.
Spierer went missing nearly two years ago after a night out with friends in Bloomington.
The lawsuit claims that Spierer was at a party at Rosenbaum's the night of June 2, 2011 and that she drank alcohol that Rosenbaum supplied. Court documents state that Spierer left the party with Rossman and another friend and went to Rossman's apartment, and that Rosenbaum later stopped by. Beth was a roommate of Rossman's and also attended the Rosenbaum party, court documents say. He returned to the residence that night while Rossman and Spierer were there.
According to the lawsuit, Beth noticed Spierer was extremely drunk and that Rossman was encouraging her to join him at Kilroy's, a local sports bar, which was about three blocks away. Rossman eventually escorted Spierer to Kilroy's that night, and witnesses say Spierer was having trouble standing and had to lean against Rossman to walk.
Rossman is accused of buying alcohol for Spierer while they were at Kilroy's.
Later on, several witnesses told police they saw Spierer in a "distressed, incoherent and nonresponsive" state near the elevator on the fifth floor of the Smallwood Plaza apartment complex with Rossman. They confronted Rossman for not helping her into her apartment and there was an altercation.
Rossman was later seen helping Spierer away from her apartment building through an alley towards his apartment. At one point a witness saw him carrying Spierer slung across his back.
At around 3:30 am, Beth returned home, where he met up with Rossman and Spierer. He told police Spierer was slurring her words and seemed to be far more intoxicated than she had been earlier that night. He says he tried to convince her to sleep on the couch, but she wanted to go home. Beth helped her to Rosenbaum's apartment instead.
Rosenbaum said he was trying to contact mutual friends to help her get home, but he eventually let Spierer walk home by herself at around 4:30 am. The court documents say he was the last person to see her alive.
The lawsuit alleges that her "abandonment in an intoxicated and disoriented state in the early morning hours of June 3, 2011 in an area known for criminal acts contributed to her disappearance, and presumed injuries and death."
Robert and Charlene Spierer told Eyewitness News Wednesday evening they had no comment on the lawsuit.
