Alcohol Abuse & Hazing Lawyers
Coercion Through Forced Consumption
Of all the most common forms of hazing, alcohol abuse is the most common and most widely reported. Senior members force pledges to drink enormous amounts of alcohol on demand as "proof" of their commitment. Alcohol abuse in a fraternity setting is particularly insidious because pledges can't stop when their bodies start giving off troubling signs.
Per data gathered by experts at the University of Maine, 82% of hazing deaths involve alcohol. The social pressure to "belong" forces people to drink more than they can tolerate. For many would-be fraternity members, finishing a bottle of bourbon in one sitting alone would be unthinkable—but put against their need to become 'brothers'?
Self-preservation, tragically, doesn't win out.
Why Civil Litigation Is Vital to Preventing Hazing
Fraternity student leaders all leave within four years, but ritualized alcohol abuse continues in fraternities around the nation without interruption. Why? Because hazing isn't just a problem caused by individuals. In the end, what makes hazing difficult to stop is its entrenched place in the organizations that sanction them. Criminal prosecution stops individuals. Civil penalties stop organizations. Levying enormous verdicts against individuals and fraternity organizations (like we did on behalf of Chad Meredith's family) make hazing 'games' far too costly for organizations to allow them to continue. Additionally, you can't jail a corporate body—but you can financially punish one.
We Have Been Fighting Ritualized Alcohol Abuse Since 2001
The fraternity hazing attorneys at Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. have been representing the families of hazing victims for years. We have called upon the largest universities and fraternities in the nation to clean up their acts, treating hazing abuse with the gravity it calls for. Attorney David Bianchi was even instrumental in drafting Florida's first law criminalizing hazing as a felony. He named it the Chad Meredith Act in his memory and in honor of the parents who stood up for him after death. Today, we're taking up the same fight—only now, we're lobbying for a national law.
We don't let people get away with abusing and harming our nation's children. Call (305) 783-2464 or contact us online to review your options with a hazing attorney for free.