When Fraternity Hazing Turns Deadly: Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Many freshman college students are excited to join a fraternity or sorority as they start their college experience. It’s a way to create a sense of belonging when away from home for the first time. Most people love their experiences but sometimes things can go very wrong when hazing is taken way too far. Hazing is humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals, often imposed on students seeking membership into a fraternity or sorority. In recent years, there have been some tragic deaths associated with college hazing that have made the national news. Some of these deaths have resulted in wrongful death lawsuits brought by the family of the deceased. When the actions of a fraternity lead to the death of a person, it may be appropriate to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the university and/or fraternity to recover damages. Here is one example: on February 3, 2020, the mother of the Rutgers student who was killed by a train after becoming intoxicated at a frat party sued the school and fraternity for wrongful death.