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 significant injury to another student at Rutgers University during the Fall 2025 semester.

(CARMEL, IN) – Alpha Sigma Phi, one of the largest men’s collegiate fraternities with more than 80,000 living lifetime members, announced today that it will seek civil damages from its former undergraduate members at Rutgers University due to their involvement in a hazing event during the Fall 2025 semester. Gordy Heminger, president and CEO, announced this historic legal action today, saying:

“The October 2025 hazing incident at Rutgers was a betrayal of our values and the antithesis of brotherhood. That’s why we immediately closed the chapter, recommended these students be evicted from the fraternity house and have fully cooperated with both the criminal and university investigations.

“Now we’re going further. Alpha Sigma Phi has retained counsel and intends to pursue civil damages against every individual directly or indirectly involved in this heinous act. This represents one of the most significant legal actions taken by a national fraternity because the members of the former chapter deliberately violated our guidelines on hazing and amnesty reporting, despite receiving training less than a month prior. Because these men agreed to abide by our organization’s rules and failed to do so, they must be held to account by all means available.

“Brotherhood is both a sacred honor and a solemn responsibility. We are called to protect one another and uphold our values, and those who fail to adhere to safety standards directly violate the contractual terms of membership in our organization. In this case and others like it, Alpha Sigma Phi reserves the right to seek civil remedies to the damage such recklessness inflicts upon our Fraternity, our members and our broader communities.

“We continue praying for the victim’s full recovery and have absolute faith that the criminal justice system and Rutgers University conduct process will deliver total accountability for those responsible.”

The announcement quickly gained traction in higher education media. The following morning, it led The Chronicle of Higher Education’s daily email briefing, linking to a full story headlined, “Why a Fraternity Wants Students to Pay Up for an Alleged Hazing Incident” by reporter Kate Hidalgo Bellows.^[1] The Chronicle article noted that another fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, had similarly announced in 2024 that it would pursue civil litigation against members of its University of Virginia chapter for hazing violations.

Doug Fierberg, an attorney noted for his lawsuits on behalf of individuals injured or even killed in hazing incidents, interpreted Alpha Sigma Phi’s strategy as the Fraternity saying, “we’re likely to get sued in the coming months or year by the family claiming that we did something wrong, when all the wrong was committed by you.”^[2]  The article also reported that Rutgers, where the incident occurred, acknowledged that the local county prosecutor’s office was leading an investigation while the university was conducting its own student conduct review.

[1] Kate Hidalgo Bellows, Why a Fraternity Wants Students to Pay Up for an Alleged Hazing Incident, Chron. of Higher Educ. (Jan. 12, 2026).

[2] Id.