Newsletter - Fraternal Law

Group Exemption Update: IRS Releases SGRI Form

Amy Hebbeler, Fraternal Law Partners, amy.hebbeler@manleyburke.com In our March 2026 newsletter, we discussed the issuance of Revenue Procedure 2026-8 ("Rev. Proc. 2026-8"), which comprehensively updated the rules and procedures regarding group exemptions, and more specifically, the impact of Rev. Proc....

Top Midwest Lawyer William T. “Toby” Eveland Joins Manley Burke

Eveland to Lead Chicago Office as Cincinnati-Based Firm Expands Practice Our entire team is delighted to welcome William T. “Toby” Eveland to the Manley Burke family. Many readers will already know Toby well through his years of collaboration with our...

$7.8 Million Verdict in Justin King Hazing Death Case

Timothy M. Burke, Fraternal Law Partners, tburke@manleyburke.com Below is the press release issued by the Kline & Specter law firm on January 29, 2026, the day after a ten-day trial that resulted in an almost eight million dollar verdict against...

What National Organizations Need to Know About Group Exemptions — and the Major Changes Under Revenue Procedure 2026-8

John E. Christopher and Amy Hebbeler, Fraternal Law Partners, john.christopher@manleyburke.com and Amy.Hebbeler@manleyburke.com As previously addressed in the September 2020 issue of the Fraternal Law Newsletter, for decades group exemptions have been an efficient tool that tax-exempt organizations utilize, especially national...

Possible Criminal Liability Takes Center Stage After NAU Hazing Death

Timothy M. Burke, Fraternal Law Partners, tburke@manleyburke.com On Saturday, January 31, 2026, the Flagstaff, Arizona police department responded to an emergency at a property near the Northern Arizona University campus where the Delta Tau Delta fraternity chapter on that campus...

Alpha Sigma Phi Announces Intent to Pursue Civil Damages in Rutgers Hazing Case

Timothy M. Burke, Fraternal Law Partners, tburke@manleyburke.com On January 12, 2026, Alpha Sigma Phi issued the following press release announcing actions it was prepared to take against some of its former undergraduate members implicated in a hazing incident that caused...

Indiana University Imposes—and Later Partially Lifts—System-Wide Suspension on Fraternities after Alleged Hazing Incidents

Megan Suckow,1 Fraternal Law Partners, megan.suckow@manleyburke.com In November 2025, rather than target only those individual chapters accused of any sort of wrongdoing, Indiana University (“IU”) imposed broad, system-wide restrictions on all twenty-seven (27) fraternities recognized by its Interfraternity Council (“IFC”)....

Federal Court Issues Injunction in OSU Disenrollment Case Over Social Media Posts

Timothy M. Burke, Fraternal Law Partners, tburke@manleyburke.com On January 14, 2026, Federal District Judge A. Edmond Sargus[1] issued a Preliminary Injunction ordering Ohio State University (OSU) to expunge any mention of involuntary disenrollment from Plaintiff Guy Christensen's academic transcript and...

Court of Appeals Upholds Constitutionality of Garret’s Law, Michigan’s Hazing Statute

Haellie M. Gordon, Fraternal Law Partners, hgordon@manleyburke.com On the evening of November 19, 2021, Ethan Cao (“Mr. Cao”), a Michigan State University student and former Pi Alpha Phi member, attended a party with other fraternity members intended to celebrate the...

Update: Kappa Kappa Gamma Likely Headed to Oral Arguments

Timothy M. Burke and Haellie M. Gordon, Fraternal Law Partners, tburke@manleyburke.com and hgordon@manleyburke.com The litigation regarding Kappa Kappa Gamma’s (“Kappa”) decision to admit a transgender student identifying as female into its University of Wyoming chapter continues before the...

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