Frat Pledge Ties ‘Necrotized Flesh’ to Hazing

PROVIDENCE (CN) - "Torturous" fraternity hazing left a Johnson & Wales student needing skin grafts during a nearly month-long hospitalization, he claims in court.

Though the student identifies himself in the April 16 complaint against the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity in Providence County Superior Court, Courthouse News has redacted that name because of the sensitive nature of the claims.

Calling the hazing "extreme and brutal," the student notes that, "in the name of brotherhood," members of TKE had him branded, beat him with wooden paddles, burned him with cigarettes, urinated on him, forced him to eat raw onions and butter until he threw up, and then made him shower in his own vomit.

A resident of New York, the student says he was the last of three standing in TKE's weeks-long fall 2014 rush process.

Eventually he "was in so much pain he could not walk or sit," the complaint states. "He developed jaundice and a fever."

The student says he did not seek medical care to avoid getting TKE in trouble; the Johnson & Wales Student Code prohibits participating in hazing, according to the complaint.

On Nov. 2, 2014, the pledge allegedly went to sleep and woke up in the hospital in intensive care, where he stayed for nearly a month.

The plaintiff claims he was treated for necrotized flesh and received skin grafts, among other things.

TKE is based in Indianapolis, and Tau Mu at Johnson & Wales is one of 259 active chapters and colonies that the fraternity operates across the United States and Canada, according to the complaint.

In addition to TKE, the complaint names five fraternity officials as defendants. The plaintiff seeks damages for negligence, malicious misconduct and other claims.

He is represented by Stephen Breggia of Providence.

Breggia did not want to comment for this article.

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