Fraternity or Sorority Hazing: Could Potential Danger Lead to Liability?

Hazing should, in my humble opinion, be declared an inherently dangerous activity. In one of may cases where sorority members cross the line in their hazing activities, a University of Central Florida sorority pledge has recently suffered the indignity and severe physical stress of 100 pushups, 100 sit ups and other highly intense steam room exercises that had to be done in a room with a hot shower running. This activity continued on and off campus and in homes where the pledge was taken, then kicked out of, having to find her own way home.

This is the second case of "unreasonably dangerous" hazing reported at the University of Central Florida. The first case involved a pledge beaten so badly with a cane that he could barely walk. Hazing is prohibited, but that doesn’t seem to stop people from using this old pledging routine as an excuse to harm others.

In the sorority incident, the pledge’s mother told school authorities about the hazing ritual; she was informed that these actions were not tolerated at the University and that hazing incidents were taken very seriously by university officials. In fact, Florida even has a an anti-hazing law which, in a nutshell, makes hazing illegal. The mother chose not to take the allegations any further than the school authorities; she did not complain to the police.

Whether or not young female pledge was seriously harmed is not clear, but the potential existed for heat exhaustion and/or dehydration – both of which can cause life- threatening heart problems, even in younger individuals.

One way to prevent these type of incidents from reoccurring is to go to the police. Another is to make an example out of the offending fraternity or sorority in the hopes they would stop their dangerous hazing activities. A personal injury lawsuit is one tool that would make the point, curtail the activity, hold the perpetrators accountable, and compensate the victims. Lawsuits are what ordinary citizens turn to, to right wrongs.

Lawsuit Financial, the pro-justice lawsuit funding company, believes that it is high time for fraternities and sororities to discontinue these dangerous hazing activities.

Mark Bello has thirty-three years experience as a trial lawyer and twelve years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life funding is needed during litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Business Associate of the Florida, Tennessee, and Colorado Associations for Justice, a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.