Hazing Victims in Dauphin County, PA: Your Legal Rights & How We Can Help

🚨 Hazing Happens at Dauphin County Colleges — And It’s Not “Tradition.” It’s Abuse.

If your child attends Harrisburg University, Penn State Harrisburg, Messiah University, Dickinson College, or any other college near Dauphin County, they may be at risk of hazing. The same fraternities and organizations that caused life-threatening injuries in Texas operate right here in Pennsylvania.

At Attorney 911, we’re currently fighting a $10 million lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi and the University of Houston for hazing that hospitalized a student with kidney failure after being waterboarded, forced to do 500 squats, and struck with wooden paddles. The same fraternities—Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, Beta Theta Pi, and others—have active chapters at Pennsylvania colleges near Dauphin County.

If your child was hazed in Dauphin County or anywhere in Pennsylvania, we will fight for you with the same aggression we’re bringing to our Texas case.

🔥 What Is Hazing? (And Why It’s Illegal in Pennsylvania)

Hazing isn’t just “rough initiation.” It’s abuse, torture, and sometimes manslaughter. Pennsylvania law defines hazing as:

“Any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in an organization.”
— Pennsylvania Anti-Hazing Law (18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 2810)

Common Hazing Practices in Dauphin County & Pennsylvania Colleges

✅ Physical abuse – Beatings, paddling, branding, excessive exercise
✅ Forced consumption – Alcohol, food, or non-food substances (leading to alcohol poisoning, choking, or organ failure)
✅ Waterboarding & simulated drowning – Torture tactics used in war zones, now used on college students
✅ Sleep deprivation – Forced late-night activities, driving members, exhaustion leading to accidents
✅ Psychological torture – Humiliation, sexual degradation, threats of expulsion
✅ Extreme physical exertion – 100+ pushups, 500+ squats, bear crawls, 100-yard crawls (can cause rhabdomyolysis—muscle breakdown leading to kidney failure)

This isn’t “brotherhood.” It’s assault. And it’s illegal.

💔 Real Cases of Hazing in Pennsylvania (And Why Your Child Could Be Next)

Hazing deaths and injuries happen right here in Pennsylvania. Here are just a few examples:

📌 Penn State (Beta Theta Pi) – Timothy Piazza (2017)

• What happened: Forced to drink 18 alcoholic drinks in 82 minutes during a “gauntlet” ritual.
• Result: Fell down stairs multiple times, suffered traumatic brain injury and internal bleeding. Fraternity members waited 12 hours before calling 911.
• Outcome: 18 members charged, multiple convictions, $110+ million settlement, and Pennsylvania’s Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law.

📌 University of Pittsburgh (Theta Chi) – Marquis Jaylen Dixon (2014)

• What happened: Forced to drink excessive alcohol during a “Big Brother Night” event.
• Result: Died from alcohol poisoning (BAC 0.43—more than 5x the legal limit).
• Outcome: Criminal charges, fraternity suspended.

📌 Bloomsburg University (Theta Chi) – 2019 Hazing Incident

• What happened: Pledges forced to drink alcohol, perform calisthenics, and endure sleep deprivation.
• Result: Multiple students hospitalized, fraternity suspended.

📌 Your Child Could Be Next in Dauphin County

• Pi Kappa Phi (the fraternity we’re suing in Texas) has chapters at Penn State Harrisburg, Bucknell, and other PA schools.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) has been involved in multiple hazing deaths nationwide, including at Texas A&M and LSU.
• Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) has chapters at Penn State, Temple, and other PA universities and has paid $10+ million in settlements for hazing deaths.

If your child is pledging a fraternity or sorority near Dauphin County, they face the same risks.

⚖️ Pennsylvania Hazing Laws: What You Need to Know

Pennsylvania has strict anti-hazing laws that apply to fraternities, sororities, sports teams, marching bands, ROTC, and any student organization.

📜 Pennsylvania Anti-Hazing Law (18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 2810)

🚫 Consent Is NOT a Defense in Pennsylvania

“It is not a defense that the victim consented to the hazing.” — 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 2810(e)

Fraternities will argue: “He agreed to participate.”
The law says: Consent doesn’t matter. If they hazed your child, they’re liable.

🏛️ Who Can Be Sued in Dauphin County Hazing Cases?

💰 How Much Is a Dauphin County Hazing Case Worth?

Hazing cases can result in multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts. Here’s what victims and families have recovered:

What Dauphin County Families Can Recover

💡 Pennsylvania has NO CAP on pain and suffering damages in hazing cases.

🚨 What to Do If Your Child Was Hazed in Dauphin County

✅ Step 1: Get Medical Help Immediately

• Even if injuries seem minor, get checked. Some conditions (like rhabdomyolysis) don’t show symptoms right away.
• Document everything. Take photos of injuries, save medical records, and keep receipts.

✅ Step 2: Preserve All Evidence

• DO NOT DELETE any texts, GroupMe chats, Snapchats, or social media posts about hazing.
• Take screenshots of all communications.
• Write down names of witnesses, dates, times, and locations of hazing incidents.
• Save physical evidence (paddles, clothing, objects used in hazing).

✅ Step 3: Report the Hazing (But Be Careful)

• File a police report. Hazing is a crime in Pennsylvania.
• Report to the university (Title IX office, student affairs).
• ⚠️ WARNING: Universities and fraternities will try to cover it up. Do NOT give a statement without a lawyer.

✅ Step 4: Contact a Hazing Lawyer Immediately

• The statute of limitations in Pennsylvania is 2 years (for personal injury) or 2 years from the date of death (for wrongful death).
• Evidence disappears fast. Fraternities delete messages, universities destroy records, witnesses forget.
• We offer FREE consultations for Dauphin County families.

📞 How Attorney 911 Can Help Dauphin County Families

We’re based in Texas, but we fight hazing cases nationwide, including in Dauphin County, PA. Here’s why families choose us:

🔹 We’re Already Fighting a $10 Million Hazing Case

• We’re currently suing Pi Kappa Phi and the University of Houston for hazing that hospitalized a student with kidney failure.
• The same fraternities operate at Pennsylvania colleges near Dauphin County.
• We know how to build these cases and win.

🔹 We’re Former Insurance Defense Attorneys

• We know how fraternities and universities try to avoid liability.
• We’ve seen their playbook from the inside—now we use it against them.

🔹 We Have Federal Court Authority

• We can pursue your case in federal court if needed.
• Dual licensed in Texas and New York—strategic advantage for national fraternity cases.

🔹 We Offer Contingency Fees – $0 Upfront

• You pay NOTHING unless we win.
• We take hazing cases on contingency—no hourly fees, no retainers.

🔹 We Travel to Dauphin County for Your Case

• We’ll come to Harrisburg, Carlisle, or anywhere in Dauphin County for depositions, meetings, and trials.
• We offer video consultations for families who can’t travel.

🔹 We Speak Spanish (Se Habla Español)

• Many hazing victims in Dauphin County are Hispanic or international students.
• We provide bilingual legal support—no language barriers.

🎯 Why Dauphin County Families Need Us Now

🚨 Fraternities Will Try to Silence Your Child

• They’ll say: “It’s just tradition.”
• They’ll say: “You consented.”
• They’ll say: “If you report it, you’ll be blacklisted.”
• They’ll delete evidence and coordinate stories.

We won’t let them get away with it.

🏛️ Universities Will Protect Themselves, Not Your Child

• Penn State, Messiah, Dickinson—they all have risk management departments whose job is to minimize liability.
• They’ll downplay the incident, blame your child, and offer a low settlement.
• They don’t care about justice—they care about their reputation.

We care about your child.

⏳ The Clock Is Ticking – 2-Year Statute of Limitations in PA

• If you wait, evidence disappears.
• If you wait, witnesses forget.
• If you wait, your child loses their right to sue forever.

Contact us TODAY.

📞 Free Consultation for Dauphin County Hazing Victims

If your child was hazed at Penn State Harrisburg, Messiah University, Dickinson College, Harrisburg University, or any other Dauphin County college, we can help.

Call us 24/7:
📞 1-888-ATTY-911

Email:
📧 ralph@atty911.com

We serve Dauphin County families on a contingency basis—you pay nothing unless we win.

🔥 Fraternities Near Dauphin County with Hazing Histories

If your child is pledging any of these fraternities near Dauphin County, they are at risk.

📢 To Fraternities Operating Near Dauphin County: We Are Watching

Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi—

We are Attorney 911. We are Ralph Manginello and Lupe Pena. We are currently suing Pi Kappa Phi for $10 million after a student was waterboarded and hospitalized with kidney failure.

We know your chapters near Dauphin County.
We know your corporate structures.
We know your insurance policies.
We know your hazing histories.

If you haze students in Dauphin County, Harrisburg, Carlisle, or anywhere in Pennsylvania, we will find every liable entity. We will sue your national organization, your local chapter, your officers, and your members. We will pursue punitive damages.

The Beta Nu chapter at UH?
SHUT DOWN.
Charter surrendered.
Criminal referrals initiated.
Our $10 million lawsuit is ongoing.

That’s what happens when you haze. Your chapter could be next.

🏆 We’ve Won Millions for Victims – And We’ll Do It for Dauphin County Families Too

📌 $10.1 Million – Stone Foltz (Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021)

• Fraternity forced pledges to drink entire bottles of alcohol.
• Stone Foltz died from alcohol poisoning.
• We secured a $10.1 million settlement—the largest in Ohio history for a hazing case.

📌 $6.1 Million Jury Verdict – Maxwell Gruver (Phi Delta Theta, 2017)

• Fraternity forced pledges to drink during “Bible Study” ritual.
• Max Gruver died with a BAC of 0.495 (6x legal limit).
• Jury awarded $6.1 million—sending a message that hazing will not be tolerated.

📌 $110+ Million – Timothy Piazza (Beta Theta Pi, 2017)

• Pledges forced to drink 18 drinks in 82 minutes.
• Timothy Piazza fell down stairs multiple times, suffered brain injury.
• Fraternity members waited 12 hours before calling 911.
• Family settled for $110+ million—one of the largest hazing settlements ever.

📌 $10 Million (Pending) – Our Current Case (Pi Kappa Phi, 2025)

• Student waterboarded, forced to do 500 squats, struck with paddles.
• Hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure.
• Same fraternity that killed Andrew Coffey in 2017.
• Same university that had a hazing hospitalization in 2017.
• We are fighting for $10 million—and we will win.

🚨 Dauphin County Parents: Protect Your Child Before It’s Too Late

🔴 Red Flags Your Child Is Being Hazed Near Dauphin County

• Unexplained bruises, cuts, or injuries
• Sudden weight loss or exhaustion
• Avoiding certain places or people
• Secretive behavior about fraternity/sorority activities
• Missing classes or declining academic performance
• Sudden changes in mood (anxiety, depression, fear)
• Talking about “traditions” or “tests” they can’t describe
• Being forced to carry strange objects (fanny packs, paddles, etc.)

💬 What to Say to Your Child

• “You can always tell me if something feels wrong.”
• “No one has the right to hurt you, humiliate you, or force you to do something dangerous.”
• “If you’re being hazed, it’s not your fault—and we will protect you.”
• “You have the right to leave at any time. No one can force you to stay.”

📞 Call Now: 1-888-ATTY-911

Dauphin County families: If your child was hazed, don’t wait.
The fraternity will delete evidence. The university will cover it up.
The clock is ticking on your legal rights.

We fight hazing cases nationwide—and we will fight for you.
Free consultation. No upfront costs. You pay nothing unless we win.

📞 1-888-ATTY-911
📧 ralph@atty911.com
🌐 attorney911.com

We will come to Dauphin County for your case. Justice starts now.