States like Louisiana and Texas have statutes meant to discourage, and in some cases punish, hazing — the persecution of a targeted person through meaningless or humiliating activities in a group setting, regardless of the victim’s consent. Those laws followed real incidents of personal injury and wrongful death tied to unregulated rushing practices. A student forced into dangerous or illegal conduct to join an institution, and the family of a student who dies from it, may take legal action against the parties who endangered them.
What Counts as Hazing
In Greek life, hazing is framed as a “test” of a pledge’s willingness to endure humiliation. In practice it often amounts to systematic abuse. Modern examples include:
- Verbal abuse
- Coerced consumption of dangerous substances, or legal substances in dangerous quantities
- Paddling or other assault
- Exposure to dangerous elements
- Sleep deprivation
- Sexual assault
- General humiliation or abuse of another person’s autonomy
Louisiana students can look to Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:40.8, and Texas students to Texas Education Code Section 37.151, to determine whether the conduct they endured qualifies as hazing in their state. Hazing is not limited to Greek life — university workplaces, clubs, and sports teams can produce it too, and a student need only show affiliation with a university group and the qualifying practices to bring a civil claim.
Who Can Be Held Liable
Assigning responsibility is rarely simple. Depending on what a student signed at enrollment or when joining a group, liable parties may include an individual student, a fraternity or sorority, a Greek organization, or a public or private university. The university’s exposure often turns on its relationship to the group: a sorority sponsored by the university or housed on its property may pull the school into liability, even where the handbook forbids hazing. A Greek house that operates off campus without university funding is more likely to bear liability alone.
Statutes of Limitations and Wrongful Death
Hazing claims must be filed before the statute of limitations runs. In Louisiana, Civil Code Article 3493.1 gives two years to bring the claim for injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024 (earlier injuries were subject to the prior one-year period). In Texas, the Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003 sets a two-year period.
When hazing causes a death, both states let a deceased’s representatives act on their behalf. Texas limits this to statutory beneficiaries — the parents, spouse, or children. Louisiana permits the same parties, then in their absence the deceased’s siblings, and only after that the grandparents.
If you or your family suffered losses from hazing, a Louisiana injury lawyer can help assess the harm, gather the evidence, and identify every party that may be responsible.