
Our Nationwide Cases
Simply put, no other firm comes close to matching the success we have obtained for our clients in state and federal courts across the country. This list does not represent all cases that the firm manages or handles.
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View Case Details: Adam Oakes Fraternity Hazing Death
Adam Oakes Fraternity Hazing Death
Adam Oakes, a VCU freshman featured in the documentary Death of a Pledge, died in a 2021 Delta Chi hazing ritual. We secured a $4.2 million settlement for his family.
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View Case Details: Alex Beletsis Fraternity Hazing-Related Death
Alex Beletsis Fraternity Hazing-Related Death
Alex Beletsis died during a Theta Chi drinking ritual. Representing his parents, we set California precedent holding national fraternities liable for hazing and reached multiple substantial settlements.
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View Case Details: Caleb Wilson Fraternity Hazing Death
Caleb Wilson Fraternity Hazing Death
Caleb Wilson, a Southern University junior, died after being struck during an Omega Psi Phi hazing ritual ruled a homicide. We filed a wrongful death lawsuit; the case is ongoing.
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View Case Details: Carson Starkey Fraternity Hazing Death
Carson Starkey Fraternity Hazing Death
Carson Starkey, a Cal Poly student, died of alcohol poisoning during a Sigma Alpha Epsilon ritual. We secured substantial settlements and California precedent holding fraternities liable for hazing.
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View Case Details: Ex-MLB Player Chad Curtis Sexual Assault Case
Ex-MLB Player Chad Curtis Sexual Assault Case
Ex-MLB player Chad Curtis sexually assaulted teenage students while coaching at a high school. We represented the victims in a civil suit against the district, which settled; Curtis was imprisoned.
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View Case Details: Football Club Owner Barrie Drewitt-Barlow Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Football Club Owner Barrie Drewitt-Barlow Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, a football club owner featured on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, allegedly groomed a teenage boy. We filed a U.S. civil lawsuit for the survivor; the case is pending.
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View Case Details: Gary L. DeVercelly Jr. Fraternity Hazing Death
Gary L. DeVercelly Jr. Fraternity Hazing Death
Gary DeVercelly Jr., a Rider University freshman, died of alcohol poisoning during a Phi Kappa Tau initiation. We secured a significant settlement and landmark campus reforms exposing fraternity misconduct.
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View Case Details: George Desdunes Fraternity Hazing Death
George Desdunes Fraternity Hazing Death
George Desdunes, a Cornell student, died during an SAE hazing ritual. We won a confidential multi-million-dollar settlement and landmark New York precedent.
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View Case Details: Hims: Wrongful Death of Luke Tyler
Hims: Wrongful Death of Luke Tyler
Luke Tyler, a WSU freshman, died by suicide using an antidepressant a Hims telehealth provider prescribed and doubled. We filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Hims; the case is ongoing.
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View Case Details: Isidore Newman School Student Sexually Assaulted
Isidore Newman School Student Sexually Assaulted
An Isidore Newman student was sexually assaulted by a classmate, then ridiculed after the school shielded him. We brought a civil rights suit; the school later publicly apologized.
Other Notable Cases
Cal State Sorority Hazing Wrongful Death Case
The fraternity, sorority and members who hazed Bea, and covered-up their misconduct afterwards, were held responsible in civil litigation filed by the family. The family received multiple substantial financial settlements and prevented such organizations and individuals from evading responsibility for the death of their beloved daughter, sister and family member.
Arizona State Hazing Wrongful Death Case
The fraternity and its members sought to portray the death of Jack as being his fault. In fact, litigation disclosed that he had been hazed as part of his effort to join the fraternity and that fraternity members left him entirely unsupervised and in danger after their actions had caused him to become grossly intoxicated. The abuse and misuse of alcohol is rampant in fraternity initiation activities. The family revealed the truth, obtained justice, and held individuals and the fraternity respnsible for his death responsible.
Cal State Fraternity Hazing Death Case
Philip died as a result of hazing, though fraternity members coordinated their stories to deny that hazing precipitated and caued his death. The national fraternity argued that it had no legal responsibility in California for the alleged acts of misconduct by chapter members. That argument was defeated, as were the denials of responsbility by members. The case ultiimately settled for a substantial amount and added to the legal precedent in California ruling that national fraternities faced legal liability for failing to stop its members and chapters from hazing.
Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity Hazing Death
Death of a young man following a fraternity-related event connected to Tau Kappa Epsilon in Fairfax County, Virginia. The estate filed a wrongful death action against the fraternity and individual defendants alleging negligence related to fraternity activities.
Sexual Assault at Psi Upsilon Fraternity at Wesleyan University
Jane Doe filed suit against a fraternity, the perpetrator, and other fraternity members after she was raped in a common area of the fraternity house during a fraternity-sponsored party. The defendants claimed she had consented and sought dismissal, which the court denied. Facing trial, the defendants abandoned those arguments and settled for a confidential, substantial amount. Jane Doe continued her education on her own terms after holding those responsible accountable.
University of Delaware Fraternity Hazing Death
Brett was a beloved son and brother who died during his freshman year while attempting to comply with longstanding fraternity hazing rituals. He was drawn to the fraternity by its promised social, educational, and professional benefits, but neither the University nor the fraternity disclosed the chapter’s well-known history of hazing and misconduct. Discovery revealed the extent of that misconduct and the University’s knowledge of it. The case resulted in substantial settlements, including reforms by both the University and the fraternity to improve student safety.
University of Louisiana Hazing Related Death
Rustam Nizamutdinov, a 24-year-old international student at the University of Louisiana–Lafayette, was killed on November 6, 2016, when a sleep-deprived Kappa Sigma pledge fell asleep at the wheel during fraternity “Hell Week” and struck him as he walked along the roadside. The driver attributed the crash to hazing that required pledges to remain awake for days and serve as designated drivers, resulting in multiple accidents that weekend. The case settled for an undisclosed amount.
SUNY Geneseo Hazing Wrongful Death Case
Arman Partamian, a 19-year-old biology sophomore at SUNY Geneseo, died on March 1, 2009, after being required to drink excessively over two days to gain membership in the off-campus Orange Knights / PIGS fraternity, which had previously been banned from campus. His blood-alcohol level was 0.55. The case settled for an undisclosed amount.
Washington Navy Yard Shooting
We represented a victim of the September 16, 2013 mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, where Aaron Alexis killed 12 people and injured three others at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters. The case settled for a substantial, undisclosed amount.
Ohio State University Hazing Wrongful Death Case
Collin, an Ohio University student pledging Sigma Pi, was subjected to escalating hazing that included forced labor, physical violence, substance abuse, and activities that interfered with his education. On November 12, 2018, Collin inhaled nitrous oxide during the pledging process and went into respiratory distress. A fraternity member delayed calling 911 for nine minutes while seeking guidance from the chapter president. Collin died at a local hospital later that morning. The case remains ongoing.


