Trial Magazine

Ryan Stokes, 15, suffered from chronic gastrointestinal issues. He took a school trip to Washington, D.C., with student travel company WorldStrides, Inc. The company’s marketing materials allegedly promoted a “Doctors on Call” program, which purportedly provided access to a dedicated team of emergency physicians in the event of a medical problem.

During the trip, Stokes became sick in the middle of the night and notified a chaperone that he had thrown up and was having severe stomach pain. The chaperone notified WorldStrides to initiate the Doctors on Call program. An allegedly unlicensed physician assistant was sent to Stokes’s hotel and diagnosed him with non-life-threatening conditions.

The next morning, Stokes collapsed and was rushed to an emergency room, where he was diagnosed as having a bowel obstruction. Despite undergoing surgery, he failed to regain consciousness and died three days later. He is survived by his parents.

Stokes’s mother, as his mother and personal representative, sued Lakeland Tours, LLC d/b/a WorldStrides, Inc., alleging fraud and wrongful death. The plaintiffs asserted that contrary to WorldStrides’s representations, no doctor was consulted or involved in Stokes’s care before his collapse.

The parties settled during trial for $5 million.

Citation: Stokes v. Lakeland Tours, LLC, No. 23-CV-2020-900051 (Ala. Cir. Ct. Covington Cnty. Jan. 26, 2024).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ members George W. Finkbohner, Joseph McGowin, David Wirtes Jr., and Joseph Steadman, all of Mobile, Ala.; and AAJ member Wesley Laird, Opp, Ala.