Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public Media
Pictured is the University of Houston campus.
A week after the University of Houston’s Pi Kappa Phi chapter was closed amid allegations of hazing, a prospective fraternity member filed a $10 million lawsuit against the fraternity and the university, claiming he suffered physical and mental anguish.
According to the lawsuit, filed last Friday in Harris County, the plaintiff claims he was hospitalized after being forced to exercise past the point of physical exhaustion. The lawsuit described the workout as including “high-volume ‘suicides,’ bear crawls, wheelbarrows, ‘save-you-brother’ drills, two-mile warmups, repeated 100-yard crawls, forced consumption of milk and food to the point of vomiting, and being struck with wooden paddles.”
The prospective fraternity member, who is not a University of Houston student, was also waterboarded with a hose on several occasions, according to the lawsuit. Waterboarding, which simulates drowning, is a form of torture.
Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the university, the UH Board of Regents, the national Pi Kappa Phi organization, the local Pi Kappa Phi chapter and several individuals.
RELATED: University of Houston’s Pi Kappa Phi chapter shutters after hazing allegations
A UH spokesperson told Houston Public Media on Monday that the university does not comment on ongoing litigation, but that the allegations against the local chapter of Pi Kappa Phi were being investigated.
“The events investigated are deeply disturbing and represent a clear violation of our community standards,” a UH spokesperson wrote in a statement. “The University is conducting its own investigation in coordination with law enforcement and with the cooperation of the fraternity and its national leadership. Pending the outcome of these investigations, any individual found responsible for hazing will face disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion and potential criminal charges.”
Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters declined to comment on pending litigation. It closed the chapter at UH before the lawsuit was filed.
The plaintiff claims to have been a “ghost rush,” meaning he was not currently eligible to join the fraternity, but was expected to transfer to the university for the upcoming semester.
According to the lawsuit, the student was hospitalized after experiencing muscle pain and difficulty walking. He allegedly suffered from severe rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure due to excessive physical exertion. The lawsuit claims he spent three nights and four days in the hospital.
Disclosure: Houston Public Media is licensed to the University of Houston System. The university does not play a role in Houston Public Media’s editorial decisions. Read our statement of ethics and standards here.