Violent Hazing Attorneys

Hazing Lawyers Fighting for the Injured & Traumatized

At its darkest, hazing rituals allow senior fraternity members, varsity players, or higher-ranked officers to inflict physical harm. If we that include the threat of physical harm, virtually all hazing is violent. Violence includes forced consumption of alcohol or drugs, beating or paddling initiates, subjecting new or prospective members to public nudity, demanding the performance of illegal or dangerous acts, or demanding anything that would compromise a person's dignity.

Violent hazing often holds the potential for sexual assault. Last year, a football team in a small town in Texas was found to have been forcibly committing sexual acts (using instruments) against new varsity players in a sick, ritualized form of sex abuse. Many of these victims didn't come forward to corroborate the accounts, but witnesses did report that the assault had been occurring. Thirteen students were arrested for the sexual assault of nine players from 2015 to 2017.

The Importance of Civil Hazing Litigation

In Florida, hazing that results in serious harm or death is a felony. However, criminal litigation recognizes an individual's part in ritualized abuse and coercion only. Civil litigation allows victims and survivors to hold organizations accountable—forcing sports associations, fraternities, and school administrations to face the results of their negligence. When our fraternity hazing lawyers held Kappa Sigma accountable for the death of Chad Meredith, they were banned from campus for four years, enough time to ensure no member of the fraternity was left remaining at the school when they returned.

But those students weren't the only issue. The issue is an entire culture, a decades-long tradition that has normalized the use of violence to inflict harm on pledges.

Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain secured the largest hazing verdict in history. We hold fraternities and sports organizations accountable for the harm suffered in the name of 'tradition' and 'team-building.' If you were harmed by violent hazing, reach out to our hazing injury and death attorneys to hold the wrongdoers accountable.

Dial (305) 783-2464 or contact us online today for a free consultation.