High Point University has been named in a wrongful death lawsuit as a defendant for allowing a fraternity's "extreme and outrageous conduct" result in the hazing death of a pledge in 2012, as reported by the News and Record.
The suit was filed in Guilford County Superior Court. Others named in the suit include M.Q., the son of university president N.Q., for engaging in hazing with others at the fraternity, and the fraternity itself, Delta Sigma Phi.
On March 26, 2012 E.T. Jr., 22, was found unresponsive in an apartment off campus. Taken to the High Point Regional Hospital, he was pronounced dead.
The media relations manager at the university, Pamela Haynes, commented that though it has been two years since the death of their student, the officials at the university "remain saddened by the loss…" Haynes added, "The university believes the lawsuit against it is unfounded and will defend itself in this litigation. As a lawsuit is now pending, it is not appropriate for the university to make additional comment."
In 2013 D.T., E.T. Jr.'s mother, placed an advertisement in the High Point Enterprise that caught a lot of attention because she offered $10,000 for any information surrounding the death of her son.
After E.T. Jr. left his home in Memphis, Tenn., to attend High Point, he proceeded to pledge to Delta Sigma Phi in the spring of 2012, according to the lawsuit.
The suit contends that the hazing practices of the fraternity, and specifically the actions taken by M.Q., let to E.T. Jr.'s death.
University president N.Q. commented that the allegations made in the lawsuit suit could not "be further from the truth."
According to the suit E.T. Jr. was "hazed viciously by members of Delta Sig at the direction of (M.Q.)… Delta Sig ran wild on and near campus. This included illegal and rampant use of alcohol, drugs, violence and hazing of its pledges including the hazing that resulted in the plaintiff's death."
The director of security at High Point University, J.K., is also named as a defendant in the suit because "security workers were instructed by officers, managers and directors ... to use the lowest level of enforcement possible — particularly with anything involving (M.Q.) and his fraternity."
The hazing allegedly began when E.T. Jr. was told to go to a "counseling session" at M.J.'s apartment – M.J. is a fraternity member and the apartment was the same off-campus apartment E.T. Jr. was later found in.
The suit states that before his death E.T. Jr. was "violently assaulted and battered" and suffered a blunt force trauma to his head.
However, according the state Medical Examiner, E.T. Jr. died of oxymorphone poisoning and not as a result of the beating. The report noted, "these injuries are superficial or mild in nature and did not contribute to his death."
Another report, commissioned by D.T., argues that her son died of "aspiration of gastrointestinal contents…most likely, he sustained a concussion which precipitated the aspiration."
No criminal charges have been filed in the matter.
Hazing rituals at colleges have become under scrutiny due to cases such as this one. If your loved one has died under this type of circumstance, or any circumstance where someone else is at fault, contact a personal injury lawyer to file your wrongful death lawsuit!