A fraternity at Cornell University is facing a wrongful death lawsuit in the case of a hopeful medical student that allegedly fell victim to a hazing incident, which involved kidnapping, bondage, and forced alcohol consumption, as reported by CNN News.
The mother of the student, G.D., 19, filed the suit against Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, SAE, for $25 million. The suit states that the student was kidnapped by pledges of the fraternity, bound around the wrists and ankles before being forced to drink a tremendous amount of alcohol - and take other substances - on the night of his death.
G.D. was a sophomore member of the fraternity at the time of the hazing ritual. While bound he was expected to answer a litany of questions, about the fraternity, to complete the hazing process.
G.D.'s mother, M.L.A., filed the suit in Brooklyn Supreme Court on June 27. The complaint reads, "The kidnapping and ensuing events were part of a long-standing fraternity ritual that was authorized and encouraged by SAE chapter officers and members."
After the evening's incident, G.D. was left on a couch in the fraternity house. The next morning a housekeeper discovered him.
His blood alcohol, more than five times the legal limit, registered at 0.409%.
William Friedlander, the attorney for M.L.A., said, "It's every parent's nightmare." He then said that the lawsuit is "not about the money" and that their "object is to get the secret rituals out in the open.
It's a way to hold (fraternities) accountable for their policies."
Three other alcohol-induced deaths are cited in the lawsuit - all involving fraternity members or pledges. The most recent one, in 2009, was a pledge that lost his life at the University of Kansas.
Another student, back in 2008, died of alcohol poisoning at SAE as well.
That 2008 SAE lawsuit was settled. The lawyer in that case, Douglas Fierberg, said, "The circumstances leading to (his client's) death are substantially similar to the circumstances leading to (G.D.'s) death."
Cornel has said that the SAE chapter was suspended after G.D. died. Their statement reads: "Sigma Alpha Epsilon maintains stringent policies and guidelines for its chapters as part of its risk-management program and reaffirms its zero-tolerance policy for actions that do not comply with our regulations.
Members are expected to adhere to our fraternity policies and to uphold behavior consistent with our creed, 'The True Gentleman.'"
Cornell's VP of communication, Tommy Bruce, said, "(G.D.'s) death was a tragedy for our campus community. We want to be clear that Cornell University neither condones nor tolerates hazing or the type of activities that we understand contributed to (G.D.'s) death.
The matter is now in litigation, and we will be following it closely as it progresses through the courts."
If you suspect that you have lost a loved one in a wrongful death scenario, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Oftentimes awards are made to compensate you for tremendous loss.