🛡️ Hazing Victims in Morris County, New Jersey: Legal Rights & How Attorney 911 Can Help

Morris County families: If your child has been the victim of hazing at a college fraternity, sorority, sports team, or other student organization in or near Morris County, New Jersey, you have legal rights. The same dangerous hazing culture that hospitalized our client in Houston exists right here in New Jersey. We are fighting this battle right now—and we will fight for Morris County victims too.

🚨 The Hazing Crisis in Morris County: What Families Need to Know

Morris County is home to prestigious universities and colleges where Greek life thrives. Institutions like Drew University, the College of Saint Elizabeth, and nearby Rutgers University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Montclair State University all have active fraternity and sorority chapters. The same national organizations that have paid millions in hazing settlements operate chapters right here in Morris County.

This is happening in Morris County. Your child could be next.

What Morris County Parents Should Watch For

Hazing isn’t just “boys being boys” or “harmless tradition.” It’s abuse. It’s assault. And in Morris County, it often includes:

• Forced alcohol consumption – Binge drinking, chugging, drinking games
• Extreme physical punishment – Push-ups, calisthenics, paddling, “hell weeks”
• Psychological abuse – Sleep deprivation, humiliation, degradation
• Dangerous rituals – Waterboarding, blindfolded activities, confinement
• Sexual humiliation – Forced nudity, carrying sexual objects, sexualized tasks

These aren’t rumors. This is what we’re litigating right now in Texas—and it’s happening in Morris County too.

⚠️ The Landmark Case That Proves Hazing Costs Millions—Even in Morris County

Bermudez v. Pi Kappa Phi & University of Houston – $10 Million Lawsuit (2025)

What Happened:
Leonel Bermudez, a young man who wasn’t even enrolled at the University of Houston yet, accepted a bid to join Pi Kappa Phi. Over seven weeks, he was subjected to systematic torture that hospitalized him for four days with severe rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure.

The Hazing Included:

• Waterboarding with a garden hose (simulated drowning)
• Forced to do 500 squats and 100+ pushups until he collapsed
• Struck with wooden paddles
• Forced to eat until vomiting, then made to run sprints while in distress
• Another pledge lost consciousness during workouts—yet they kept going

The Result:

• 3 nights, 4 days in the hospital with kidney failure
• Rhabdomyolysis – muscle breakdown that can be fatal
• Permanent health risks – potential long-term kidney damage

The Defendants We’re Suing (And Why Morris County Families Should Too):

• Pi Kappa Phi National – Knew about a “hazing crisis” and did nothing
• University of Houston – Owned the fraternity house where the torture occurred
• Chapter Officers & Members – Organized and participated in the abuse
• Former Members & Spouses – Allowed hazing at their home

Why This Matters to Morris County:

• Pi Kappa Phi has chapters at universities near Morris County.
• The same national organizations operate in New Jersey.
• Universities in Morris County face the same liability when they fail to protect students.
• $10 million is the price for torturing a student. Morris County families can send the same message.

⚖️ Morris County Hazing Victims’ Legal Rights

New Jersey Hazing Laws: What You Need to Know

New Jersey has strong anti-hazing laws that apply to Morris County students:

New Jersey Statute 2C:40-3 – Hazing

“A person is guilty of hazing if, in connection with initiation of applicants to or members of a student or fraternal organization, the actor knowingly or recklessly organizes, promotes, facilitates or engages in any conduct… that places or may place another person in danger of bodily injury.”

Penalties in New Jersey:

• Fourth-degree crime (up to 18 months in prison, $10,000 fine)
• Third-degree crime if the hazing causes serious bodily injury (3-5 years in prison, $15,000 fine)
• Consent is NOT a defense – Even if your child “agreed” to participate, the law says it doesn’t matter

New Jersey’s Anti-Hazing Law Also Allows Civil Lawsuits

Morris County victims can sue for:

• Medical expenses (past and future)
• Pain and suffering (physical and emotional)
• Lost wages (if hazing affected academics or employment)
• Punitive damages (to punish egregious conduct)

Who Can Be Sued in Morris County Hazing Cases?

Morris County families: These same defendants exist at New Jersey universities. We know how to hold them accountable.

💰 Morris County Hazing Cases Can Win Millions—Here’s the Proof

Hazing lawsuits routinely result in multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts. Here’s what juries and courts have awarded in recent cases—and what Morris County victims can expect:

1. Stone Foltz – Pi Kappa Alpha (Bowling Green State University)

• $10.1 MILLION total settlement
• $2.9 million from the university
• $7.2 million from the fraternity and individuals
• Our $10 million demand is directly in line with this precedent.

2. Maxwell Gruver – Phi Delta Theta (Louisiana State University)

• $6.1 MILLION jury verdict
• Criminal conviction (negligent homicide)
• Max Gruver Act – Made hazing a felony in Louisiana

3. Timothy Piazza – Beta Theta Pi (Penn State University)

• $110+ MILLION estimated settlement
• 18 fraternity members criminally charged
• Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law – Pennsylvania

4. Adam Oakes – Delta Chi (Virginia Commonwealth University)

• $4+ MILLION settlement
• Adam’s Law – New Virginia hazing legislation

Morris County families: These cases prove that hazing victims win big when they fight back. The same results are possible for Morris County victims.

📋 What to Do If Your Child Was Hazed in Morris County

Step 1: Get Medical Attention Immediately

• Even if injuries seem minor, get checked by a doctor.
• Rhabdomyolysis, concussions, and alcohol poisoning can have delayed symptoms.
• Medical records are critical evidence for your case.

Step 2: Preserve All Evidence

✅ Photos/Videos – Injuries, hazing locations, any physical evidence
✅ Texts/Group Chats – Screenshots of all communications about hazing
✅ Social Media – Posts, messages, or stories about hazing activities
✅ Witness Information – Names and contact info of other pledges or witnesses
✅ Fraternity/Sorority Documents – Pledge manuals, schedules, rules

❌ DO NOT:

• Delete any messages or posts
• Talk to fraternity/sorority leadership without a lawyer
• Sign anything from the organization
• Post about the incident on social media

Step 3: Report the Hazing

• File a police report – Hazing is a crime in New Jersey
• Report to the university – Title IX office, student affairs
• Contact the national organization – Demand accountability

Step 4: Call Attorney 911 Immediately

Morris County families: Time is critical. Evidence disappears. Statutes of limitations expire. Call us NOW for a free consultation.

📞 1-888-ATTY-911 (24/7)
📧 ralph@atty911.com

We work on contingency—you pay nothing unless we win.

🏢 Why Morris County Families Choose Attorney 911

1. We’re Fighting This Battle Right Now

• We’re currently litigating the $10 million Pi Kappa Phi hazing case in Texas.
• We know exactly how to build these cases—and we’ll bring that expertise to Morris County.
• Morris County families get the same aggressive representation we’re providing in Houston.

2. Former Insurance Defense Attorneys—We Know Their Playbook

• Ralph Manginello and Lupe Pena both worked for insurance companies before switching sides.
• We know how they minimize claims, delay payments, and deny liability.
• We use their own tactics against them.

3. Nationwide Reach—We Serve Morris County from Houston, Austin & Beaumont

• Federal court authority – Can pursue cases in federal jurisdiction
• Dual-state bar licenses – Texas AND New York
• Video consultations – Morris County families can meet with us remotely
• We travel to Morris County – For depositions, trials, and client meetings

4. Proven Results in Multi-Million-Dollar Cases

• BP Texas City explosion litigation – Mass tort experience
• $10+ million hazing lawsuit – Currently litigating
• Hundreds of personal injury cases – With millions recovered

5. We Speak Spanish—Se Habla Español

• Bilingual staff serving Spanish-speaking clients
• No language barriers to justice for Morris County families

6. We Don’t Get Paid Unless You Do

• $0 upfront – No retainer, no hourly fees
• Contingency fee – We take a percentage of your settlement
• No win, no fee – If we don’t win, you owe us nothing

🎯 Our Message to Morris County Fraternities & Universities

To the fraternities and sororities operating in Morris County:

• We are watching.
• The same legal strategies that secured $10+ million verdicts in Texas apply to your chapters.
• If you haze students in Morris County, we will find every liable entity—and we will sue them all.

To Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, and all others:

• Your New Jersey chapters are on notice.
• We track your house corporations, your national insurance structures, and your documented history of hazing deaths.
• If your Morris County chapter harms a student, we will pursue every liable party.
• We already shut down the Beta Nu chapter in Texas. Your chapter could be next.

To universities in Morris County:

• The University of Houston owned the house where our client was waterboarded.
• They knew about prior hazing incidents—and did nothing.
• If your institution fails to protect Morris County students, you will face the same accountability.

📞 Morris County Hazing Victims: Call Us Now

If your child was hazed in Morris County, you have legal rights. We can help.

📞 1-888-ATTY-911 (24/7)
📧 ralph@atty911.com
🌐 attorney911.com

Free consultation. No upfront costs. We only get paid if we win.

Morris County families: Don’t wait. Evidence disappears. Memories fade. Call us today.

🔴 URGENT: New Jersey Statute of Limitations

• Personal injury: 2 years from date of injury
• Wrongful death: 2 years from date of death

Every day you wait is a day closer to losing your legal rights.

🏆 Morris County Hazing Victims Deserve Justice. We Will Fight for You.

This is happening in Morris County. It could be your child next.
We are fighting this battle right now—and we will fight for Morris County families too.

Call 1-888-ATTY-911 today.