KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Curtis Mertensmeyer says he was the victim of a traumatic hazing incident months before he hit and killed Daniel Riemann on Ward Parkway last May.
Mertensmeyer, 21, is suing Sigma Alpha Mu at Tulane University, saying the experience led to post traumatic stress disorder and affected his ability to make decisions.
According to the lawsuit, the disorder caused him to "take unwise actions because of a breakdown in his decision-making process in stressful situations."
After the accident, Mertensmeyer kept driving. He didn't turn himself over to police for days.
Mertensmeyer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison. He could be up for probation this summer.
Daniel Riemann's mother doesn't think the hazing experience had anything to do with "what he did to my son.”
She said the issue was never brought up during the criminal case.
"My first gut reaction was how much more are they going to put us through before they can finally admit they made mistakes,” Kelly Riemann told NBC Action News. “Curtis made mistakes and there are consequences."
A Tulane University spokesperson says the school takes a zero tolerance policy toward hazing and that the fraternity is suspended until the investigation is over.
Mertensmeyer's mom, Jane Stafford, is representing him in the case. The suit doesn't mention the amount of damages being sought.
"I believe she is grasping at straws as a way of protecting her son and their reputation," Kelly Riemann said.
Calls by NBC Action News to Stafford and to representatives at Sigma Alpha Mu had not been returned early Friday afternoon.
Mertensmeyer’s defense lawyer says he is not involved in the lawsuit and it will have no effect on when his client will get out of prison.
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