The family of 23-year-old Jozsef Pal, who died in March 2025, filed the petition on March 2 in Cleveland County, Okla.
Credit: GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- The family of a University of Oklahoma rugby player who died days after suffering a brain injury when he was struck with a “fatal blow” during a night out plans to file a lawsuit
- Jozsef Pal, 23, died in March 2025
- The petition alleges that there were “preventable delays in obtaining medical assistance and that reasonable steps were not taken promptly once Jozsef was visibly in distress”
The family of a University of Oklahoma rugby player who died days after suffering a brain injury when he was struck during a night out plans to file a civil lawsuit against three people and several Norman businesses.
The relatives of 23-year-old Jozsef Pal, who died in March 2025, filed the petition on March 2 in Cleveland County, according to a copy of the document obtained by PEOPLE.
The family believes there were "preventable delays in obtaining medical assistance and that reasonable steps were not taken promptly once Jozsef was visibly in distress,” according to a separate statement from attorney Chloe Glass of Glass & Tabor.
“The filing seeks sworn testimony, production of evidence, and a full examination of the response and decision-making that evening. The family’s goal is straightforward: transparency, accountability, and answers,” the statement adds.
On March 1, 2025, Pal went to Campus Corner with teammates following a rugby match earlier that day, according to the petition. Around 11:00 p.m., he arrived at a bar known as Logie’s, where he began consuming alcoholic beverages.
“As the evening progressed, Joe displayed visible signs of intoxication, including impaired balance, confusion, and diminished coordination,” the petition states. “Logie’s staff ultimately required Joe to leave the premises because of his level of intoxication.”
After leaving Logie’s, Joe walked to The Porch, where he consumed additional alcoholic beverages sold and served by workers, per the petition. Joe later went to Sideline, another Campus Corner establishment, and continued to consume alcoholic drinks. By this point, Pal “displayed visible signs of intoxication that were apparent or should have been apparent to reasonable servers,” the petition claims. He was also allegedly left alone for an unspecified amount of time on Campus Corner.
At about 3 a.m. on March 2, 2025, Pal approached a white Ford F-250 parked in the Revvy lot and pulled on the locked rear passenger door handle. Three men inside the truck got out and pushed him about 15 feet away, the petition alleges. (PEOPLE could not reach attorneys for the three men and is not naming them. None has been charged with a crime.)
“Joe did not present an imminent threat of serious bodily harm that would justify the use of deadly force in self-defense,” the petition states. “At no time during the encounter did Joe strike or physically assault any of the Defendants.”
The petition alleges one of the men delivered a "fatal blow" to Pal’s head and later admitted to police, "I overreacted, and I hit him." Pal fell backward and struck his head on the concrete.
"Joe immediately lost consciousness and did not regain meaningful consciousness for the remainder of his life," the petition states.
The petition further alleges the men recorded videos while Pal lay unconscious and bleeding. It also alleges that one of the men laughed and lifted Pal's head to show his wound to the camera before letting the head fall back to the concrete.
The petition claims "no Defendant provided sustained or effective medical assistance," and alleges that 911 was not called until around 3:47 a.m., about 30 to 40 minutes after Joe lost consciousness.
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Officers with the Norman Police Department responded to the scene on a report of a carjacking and found Pal’s unresponsive body about 15 feet from the truck. Pal was taken to the hospital by emergency medical personnel and was pronounced dead on March 7, 2025 after being removed from life support, according to the petition.
The medical examiner later ruled Pal’s death a homicide, finding that he died from acute blunt force trauma to the head caused by an assault, the petition states.
Pal’s family is seeking punitive damages to be determined by a jury at the time of trial.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case. PEOPLE reached out to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office for comment on the petition but did not immediately hear back Thursday, March 5.
However, a spokesperson for the D.A.’s office told OU Daily this week: “The evidence presented to our office did not show that there was an act perpetrated against Mr. Pal that rose to criminal liability. As a result, no charges were filed.”
The City of Norman, also named as a respondent, declined to comment, telling PEOPLE it “has not been formally served at this time and does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation.”
In a GoFundMe campaign created amid his recovery, Pal was described by his loved ones as “one of the toughest and most dedicated guys we know.”
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