Alcohol Hazing Lawyer

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Our Alcohol Hazing Lawyer Will Investigate Your Case

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Alcohol seems to be an integral part of fraternity initiation rituals at every college. While “hazing” is supposedly illegal, this has not deterred the practice of forcing boys in their late teens to consume large amounts of alcohol as part of their “rite of passage.” When a fraternity pledge is injured, either by alcohol poisoning or by injuries suffered while intoxicated, he is said to have been a victim of “alcohol hazing” and the fraternity and the college are liable for those injuries.

 

Every nationally-recognized fraternity has a policy declaring that hazing, and alcohol hazing, are no longer acceptable. The same policy is part of practically every college’s student and fraternity guidelines. If your son was injured during a fraternity alcohol hazing you have to ask: “With all these guidelines in place, how is it that my son was injured?”

 

 

Who Is Responsible for Enforcing State Anti-hazing Laws?

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If your son was injured in an alcohol hazing incident you may wonder why no one was arrested afterward. This is probably due to a lack of interest on the part of law enforcement, be it campus, local police, or county.

 

Although 44 states have passed anti-hazing laws, it remains unclear as to who is responsible for enforcing these laws. Annual crime statistics from campus police departments are notoriously hard to come by, and there is no federal law that is applicable to fraternity hazing. Based on the data that is available there appear to be only a few reports of campus police, or any other agency, acting before an alcohol hazing incident results in a serious injury or death. Since initiations where alcohol hazing will likely occur are generally well-known around campus well in advance, it calls into question just how vigorously existing anti-hazing laws are being enforced.

 

In those states that do not have anti-hazing laws, fraternity alcohol hazing may be prosecuted under the state law that prohibit giving alcohol to minors. Even though the “underage drinking” law may apply, it is probably enforced with the same lack of enthusiasm as the anti-hazing laws in other states.

 

 

How a Fraternity Alcohol Hazing Lawyer Can Help

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Many families that have a son who was the victim of alcohol hazing during a fraternity initiation have said that both the college and the fraternity were of little, if any, help in finding out what happened to their son. If this is similar to what you have encountered, you should contact a fraternity alcohol hazing lawyer to discuss the options that may be available to you.

 

If you decide to file a lawsuit over your son’s injury, your lawyer will first establish that alcohol hazing was involved and that alcohol was directly related to his injury. Once these facts are confirmed and documented, he or she will turn to the issue of is liable for your son’s alcohol hazing injury.

 

In cases involving alcohol hazing, the “chain of liability” will usually look similar to this:

 

 

• The individuals who were personally involved in giving your son alcohol

• The officers of the fraternity

• The college’s appointed advisor of the fraternity

• The college’s administration

• The fraternity’s national headquarters

 

After questions of liability are answered, he or she will determine the type and amount of damages that should be awarded to you and your son.

 

In law, damages are intended as compensation for an injury and other losses that you have sustained due to the negligence of others. Although each lawsuit is unique in its own way, damages are usually awarded to compensate you for:

 

 

• Current and anticipated future costs of your son’s medical care

• Current and anticipated future costs of mental health counseling and/or psychiatric care

• Compensation for any losses or necessary repair of your son’s personal property

• “Non-economic” damages such as compensation for pain your son suffered due to his injuries, psychological stresses, and any long-term emotional problems he might experience

• Punitive damages to punish those liable for you son’s injuries and to deter such negligence in the future

 

If you experienced the greatest tragedy, the death of you son, your lawyer will also ask that you be awarded damages for (in addition to the above):

 

 

• Funeral and burial expenses

• Lost wages or other income that you lost due to attending to matters related to your son’s death

• Any legal services related to recovery and disposition of your son’s personal property

• Non-economic damages to compensate you for the emotional trauma following your son’s death

• Punitive damages, the amount to be decided upon by you and your lawyer

 

There are, of course, many other matters that will need to be decided between you and your lawyer, but the information presented here will be a good starting point.