Berger Kahn Partners David Ezra, Erin Ezra, and Jarrick Goldhamer explore the notorious “hazing rituals” occurring on college campuses—particularly within fraternities—in their recent article, “College Hazing and Underage Drinking: Taking a Shot (at Insurance Coverage).”
College is often a time when young adults test their limits outside of parental supervision. Unfortunately, this freedom can lead to dangerous initiation rituals involving excessive alcohol consumption, often distributed to minors under the guise of a required “rite of passage” to join certain organizations or fraternities.
In their article, our Berger Kahn team discusses how these rituals are increasingly being monitored and, in many cases, must be reported. Tragically, hazing has led to numerous deaths, prompting legal action in both civil and criminal courts. As a result, many families and students are now reviewing their homeowners or housing-related insurance policies to understand coverage implications. While it is commonly believed that hazing-related incidents are excluded from coverage, this article points out that this is not always the case.