Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Bowie State University student seeks $3M for fraternity hazing

BOWIE, Maryland -- A Bowie State University junior has filed a $3 million lawsuit against the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity for injuries he allegedly suffered while being hazed as a pledge.

Kevin Hayes also alleges he was “ostracized and bullied” by members of the fraternity after they saw photos of his injuries saved on his phone and told him to delete the images.

But Hayes, who pledged the fraternity’s Eta Zeta chapter in the fall of 2013, has remained a member because he wants to “change things from the inside,” according to his lawyer.

“He’s sad that he had to do it [file the lawsuit] but knows it was the right thing to do,” said Jimmy A. Bell, an Upper Marlboro solo practitioner. “Hazing is a crime.”

Officials from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.’s national headquarters in Baltimore did not respond to messages seeking comment. Founded in 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha was the first Greek-letter fraternity for black students and has 353 chapters at colleges and universities across the country, including nine in Maryland.



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NOTE: The case is Kevin Hayes v. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., et al., CAL14-36637, The Circuit Court for Prince George's County (Maryland). 

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