Family files lawsuit against numerous people one year after OU rugby player’s death
By Meghan Mosley
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NORMAN, Oklahoma (KOCO) — The family of Jozsef Pal, an OU rugby player and National Guard member, has filed a civil lawsuit against several parties they believe are responsible for his death.
Night out turns deadly It has been one year since Jozsef’s death, but the pain remains for his family.
“I would love to say we’re feeling better, but I don’t think it gets any better,” Amanda Pal, Jozsef’s mother, said.
Jozsef was found unconscious in Norman on March 2, 2025. Norman police discovered him a few streets east of Campus Corner.
“He was laying defenseless on the ground, and no one helped him for 40 minutes. What contributed to that? And that is why we’ve brought in all the defendants that we have,” Chloe Glass, an attorney with Glass & Tabor Law, said.
An account of the events presented to the court indicates that Jozsef was intoxicated and pulled the handle of a truck in a parking lot, leading to a confrontation with three men inside the vehicle.
“He was like, ‘Nah, dude. Let’s get it,’ and I overreacted and I hit him,” a man said in body camera video released from that night.
Jozsef suffered a brain injury from a fall and died five days later in the hospital. The medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide, but no charges have been filed, and the criminal case has been closed.
“As a parent, you don’t ever want your child to hurt, and I wonder, did he lay there and hurt? Was he scared?” Amanda said.
Family files civil lawsuit against list of people One year later, his family filed a civil lawsuit against everyone they believe contributed to his death.
“We want the people that took Joe away from us to be accountable for what happened, and it doesn’t seem like that has happened so far,” Amanda said.
The lawsuit alleges assault and battery and negligence against the man who hit Jozsef, names two other men at the scene who did not call for help and includes the Norman bars that continued serving alcohol to Jozsef despite his intoxication.
“It’s our belief that they overserved him and brought him to a place that was vulnerable that night and not able to take care of himself,” Glass said.
The lawsuit also targets the company of the vehicle the men were driving and the city of Norman for the police department’s handling of the incident.
“We have alleged negligence by the Norman Police Department. We believe, and we laid out in the petition, there are certain measures that should’ve been taken to render aid to Joe that should’ve been taken,” Glass said.
The city of Norman has not commented on the pending litigation, and their legal team had not been served as of Tuesday.
The Cleveland County District Attorney’s office stated that the evidence presented did not show an act that rose to criminal liability. The three men involved in the incident did not return calls on Tuesday.
“We still want some accountability. We want some justice,” Amanda said.
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