Court: Suit Against LSU in Frat Pledge’s Death Can Continue

BATON ROUGE, La. (The Advocate) — A federal appeals court says the parents of a Louisiana State University freshman who died during a hazing ritual can pursue a lawsuit that says the university disciplines sororities and fraternities differently because of gender. Stephen and Rae Ann Gruver filed a lawsuit in 2018 on behalf of their son Maxwell Gruver, who died from alcohol poisoning after a fraternity party in 2017. On Tuesday, the appeals court ruled that because LSU accepts federal funding, it waives sovereign immunity from lawsuits claiming sexual discrimination. The suit said LSU committed discriminatory disciplinary actions by policing sorority hazing incidents stricter than fraternity hazing. LSU did not immediately respond to requests for comment.