A Luzerne County jury has awarded the estate of a Bloomsburg University student who died after a fraternity hazing event nearly $8 million.
Justin King, an 18-year-old from Gilbertsville, was just a freshman when he attended a party at an Alpha Sigma Tau sorority house in September 2019. The night ended with him falling over a rocky ledge and down a 75-foot embankment, leading to his death the next morning.
Prosecutors argue that King consumed "copious amounts of alcohol" during the party, which was part of a fraternity rush event, before wandering far off campus and meeting his demise. The toxicology report revealed a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit at the time of his death.
King's estate has reached confidential settlements with Kappa Sigma fraternity and dozens of individual defendants, but it pursued a lawsuit against the Alpha Sigma Tau national sorority. During the 10-day trial, prosecutors claimed that the sorority ignored policy violations, hazing, and underage drinking for years before King's death.
The jury ultimately allocated 35% responsibility to the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority, which will have to pay $2.73 million to King's estate, with an expected additional $3.5 million in delayed damages. The Kappa Sigma fraternity was also found liable, responsible for 35% of King's death.
The jury's decision comes after the 2017 hazing death of Penn State University student Timothy Piazza, who suffered serious injuries during a bid night event at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was left overnight without medical care. The lawsuit presents evidence suggesting that national Greek organizations cannot turn a blind eye to rampant drinking and policy violations on college campuses.
Lawyers for King's estate stated that the jury understood the culture at Bloomsburg University and the case was about corporate responsibility, while the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority has not yet commented on the decision.
Justin King, an 18-year-old from Gilbertsville, was just a freshman when he attended a party at an Alpha Sigma Tau sorority house in September 2019. The night ended with him falling over a rocky ledge and down a 75-foot embankment, leading to his death the next morning.
Prosecutors argue that King consumed "copious amounts of alcohol" during the party, which was part of a fraternity rush event, before wandering far off campus and meeting his demise. The toxicology report revealed a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit at the time of his death.
King's estate has reached confidential settlements with Kappa Sigma fraternity and dozens of individual defendants, but it pursued a lawsuit against the Alpha Sigma Tau national sorority. During the 10-day trial, prosecutors claimed that the sorority ignored policy violations, hazing, and underage drinking for years before King's death.
The jury ultimately allocated 35% responsibility to the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority, which will have to pay $2.73 million to King's estate, with an expected additional $3.5 million in delayed damages. The Kappa Sigma fraternity was also found liable, responsible for 35% of King's death.
The jury's decision comes after the 2017 hazing death of Penn State University student Timothy Piazza, who suffered serious injuries during a bid night event at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was left overnight without medical care. The lawsuit presents evidence suggesting that national Greek organizations cannot turn a blind eye to rampant drinking and policy violations on college campuses.
Lawyers for King's estate stated that the jury understood the culture at Bloomsburg University and the case was about corporate responsibility, while the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority has not yet commented on the decision.
. But seriously, it's crazy how these organizations think they can just ignore the rules and get away with it. All those years of ignoring policy violations, hazing, and underage drinking... it's like a frat house nightmare 
. And I'm sure this will set a precedent for other universities to take the culture of Greek life more seriously... but let's be real, how many more Timothys need to die before they get the memo? 
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and it was literally so...interesting. i mean, who thought putting pineapple on pizza was a good idea? but at the same time, i think it's cool that people are so passionate about food, you know? like, someone out there loves pineapple pizza that much they're willing to share their thoughts online 
anyway, back to this fraternity thing...i don't get why they can't just have a normal party without all the drama and stuff. but i guess that's not how it works, right? 
. 8 million bucks is a lot but I guess it's better late than never. I mean, you'd think that by now frats would know their limits and take hazing seriously. But nope, still happens and people keep dying 
. It's not just the individuals who are liable, it's also these huge national orgs that let this stuff happen. They need to start taking responsibility for their actions and making changes 
. It's all about corporate responsibility, right? Anyway, glad the jury was able to see through all that and hold someone accountable 
. Now let's hope this sets a precedent for other cases like this 
( i hope this $8 million award helps his family move forward 
. its crazy that these orgs can be so reckless with people's lives... like, dont they have a responsibility to keep their members safe? 
. so glad the jury held them accountable 
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$8 million verdict is too little 
No more excuses, it's time for real change 
. I mean, it's about time someone held those frats accountable for their reckless behavior 
. The fact that they ignored policy violations and hazing for years before King's death is just crazy 
. It's like, you know when you're in high school and your parents tell you to be responsible, but when you get to college, suddenly it's "good times" and "no rules"? 
Not cool.
. No more just covering your own butts and expecting the university to bail you out 
. The numbers are insane, $2.73 million is a small drop in the ocean compared to what those frats should've done years ago 
.
and now the jury says alpha sigma tau sorority is only 35% responsible? like, isn't that kinda low considering all they knew about hazing policies being ignored for years 
i feel bad for king's family but at the same time this should be a huge wake-up call for these national organizations to step up their game and take care of these kinds of incidents more seriously 
. 8 million bucks is a lot of money, but I'm pretty sure it's not enough to bring back the dude 
. can't we just have a big ol' campus-wide party where everyone gets drunk together 
... I mean, 18 years old Justin King just got swept away by a party gone wrong... it's like, what even is the point of all these frats if you're just gonna end up dead? 
Maybe this will be a wake-up call for colleges everywhere...
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. I mean, considering it's a national org like Alpha Sigma Tau, they should be footing the bill for something that went this horribly wrong under their watch. It's all well and good that they settled with King's estate privately but this verdict is a pretty small dent in their massive budget. And what about the Kappa Sigma fraternity? They're getting off scot-free with 35% responsibility too