Penn State Sued For Student's Suicide

Brutal hazing by a fraternity led to a Penn State Altoona student leaping off of an 11-story building, a father’s lawsuit alleges.

Marquise Abraham was allegedly forced to consume “gross” amounts of alcohol, chug Listerine, swallow live fish, fight other fraternity pledges, burn himself with candle wax, and kill, gut, and skin animals, the lawsuit alleges.

Abraham’s father, Rich, is a senior editor ABC News, according to Philly.com

He says that the school had been aware of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity’s hazing of his son for some time before his son’s suicide in March 2014, just one day before he was due to return to school.

The fraternity has already been suspended from the school for six years after an investigation by the school.

“Penn State staff knew Marquise was suffering physically, psychologically, and academically,” the lawsuit states. “Rather than intervene, report, and prevent such illegal misconduct from continuing, as required by Pennsylvania law and Penn State’s own policies and procedures, Penn State disregarded this information, failed to act, and actually counseled Marquise over a period of months to endure the hazing, telling him, among other things: “You poor thing . . . Your keeping a good spirit tho. Keep your chin up boo!! . . . Stay strong little buddy. You are almost done and you’ve been so strong. Your kicking [expletive]!=).”

According to Rich Abraham, Penn State kept this knowledge a secret from his family.

In addition to the university, the lawsuit names both the fraternity’s local chapter and the national organization, two student officers of the fraternity, a resident adviser, and the director of residence life.