The parents of a University of Missouri student have filed a lawsuit against one of the school’s fraternities for the hazing of their son.
The lawsuit claims Daniel Santulli, 19, and the rest of his Phi Gamma Delta members were forced by their “pledge fathers” to consume a bottle of vodka on Oct. 19, 2021. Santulli was found the next morning in cardiac arrest inside a car at University Hospital with his blood alcohol content at 0.486%, the Columbia Missourian wrote on Tuesday.
David Bianchi, the family’s attorney who specializes in hazing litigation, called it “the worst injury of any fraternity pledge” he has seen in his 30 years of work.
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Santulli has not recovered from his alcohol consumption, the lawsuit claims. He remains “unresponsive, unaware of his surroundings, unable to communicate and (with) a significant injury to his brain” more than 100 days after the incident.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Danny and the Santulli family during this difficult time,” wrote Ron Caudill, the fraternity’s national executive director, in a statement to the outlet. “We have received the civil complaint and are reviewing it … We expect all chapters and members to follow the law and abide by the fraternity’s policies, which prohibit hazing and the provision of alcohol to minors.”
The school withdrew recognition of the fraternity on Oct. 29, 2021. Christian Basi, a spokesman for the school, told the Washington Examiner the removal of recognition is “the harshest penalty the university can take against a Greek organization” and “demonstrates that the university does hold organizations accountable.” Basi also said a criminal investigation into the fraternity is continuing.
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The fraternity has been reported committing other violations related to hazing and alcohol since Jan. 2017, according to the school’s website.
