New York City College Hazing Lawyer

Mark David Shirian P.C. represents injured people and families across New York City, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, and extends that work to Long Island, Westchester, and the wider state. When a student is hurt during an initiation, whether a fraternity pledge night, a sports team ritual, or a club “tradition,” the firm builds claims against the people and institutions that allowed it. As a New York City college hazing lawyer, the firm treats these cases as what they are: preventable injuries with identifiable responsible parties.

New York law does not wait for a death to treat hazing as a crime. Hazing in the first degree is a class A misdemeanor, reached when someone, in the course of another person’s initiation into or affiliation with an organization, intentionally or recklessly engages in conduct creating a substantial risk of physical injury and an injury results. Hazing in the second degree is a violation, and it requires no injury at all, only the risky conduct. A 2018 amendment made explicit that making physical contact with a person, or requiring physical activity of them, counts as the conduct. That matters for forced drinking, forced exercise, and “line-up” beatings alike.

Criminal charges against upperclassmen are one track. A civil claim is another, and it is the one that compensates a student for medical bills, lost semesters, and lasting harm. It also reaches beyond the individuals who handed over the bottle.

Why Choose Mark David Shirian P.C. for a Campus Hazing Claim

Mark David Shirian P.C. is a litigation firm led by founding member Mark D. Shirian, who concentrates in personal injury, employment law, sports and entertainment law, and civil and commercial litigation. The firm serves clients throughout New York City, Nassau County, Westchester County, and across New York State, and accepts matters from Suffolk and Rockland Counties as well. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, so there is no fee unless there is a recovery, and case evaluations are free and confidential. Every case is handled by one of the firm’s attorneys rather than a case manager, so a student or parent talks to a lawyer, not an intake screen.

Mark D. Shirian has obtained multiple seven-figure settlements and has challenged Fortune 500 companies, school systems, and government entities, the same kinds of defendants that appear in hazing litigation. Among the firm’s results are a $1,500,000 Child Victims Act settlement, a $1,500,000 Transit Authority bus accident settlement, a $1,000,000 wrongful death settlement, and a $500,000 daycare injury settlement involving a minor. He was named to The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, displays the NAOPIA Top 10 Attorney Award, and is admitted in New York and the U.S. District Courts for the S.D.N.Y. and E.D.N.Y. His memberships include the American Association for Justice, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the Sports Lawyers Association. That last one is relevant here, since athletic team hazing is a recurring source of these claims.

Senior Associate Shawn D. Shirian brings over seven years of litigation experience, including jury trials and dispositive motions, and has defended major corporate clients in premises liability cases. That defense-side background helps in anticipating how an insurer or university will frame a hazing case. Clients have described the firm in reviews as honest, responsive, and patient in answering questions, and the firm holds an Excellent Google rating based on 96 reviews.

Where Hazing Injuries Come From and Who Can Be Held Responsible

• Fraternity and sorority pledging: Forced alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, and physical “challenges” are the classic pattern. Liability can reach individual members, the chapter, and the national organization that sets the rules the chapter ignores.
• Athletic team initiations: Rookie rituals on college teams often involve alcohol, humiliation, or physical punishment. The coaches and athletic department who knew or should have known are potential defendants, along with the school itself.
• Clubs, bands, and performing groups: Hazing is not limited to Greek life. Marching bands, dance teams, ROTC-style groups, and cultural or academic clubs have all generated claims.
• Alcohol-related injuries and poisoning: Hazing events built around drinking can cause alcohol poisoning, aspiration, falls, and fatal outcomes. These can become wrongful death cases where a representative of the estate brings the claim.
• Physical assault and forced exercise: Beatings, paddling, and forced exertion can cause fractures, head injuries, and rhabdomyolysis, a serious muscle breakdown condition that can injure the kidneys.
• Psychological and sexual abuse: Coerced humiliation and sexualized rituals leave emotional injuries that are compensable alongside physical ones, and may overlap with the firm’s harassment practice.
• Negligent supervision by the institution: Colleges that ignored prior complaints, failed to enforce their own anti-hazing rules, or tolerated a known problem chapter face claims for what they failed to do.
• Off-campus house parties and rented venues: Many events happen in private houses, bars, or rented spaces, which can add property owners and venue operators to the list of responsible parties.

The Deadlines That Control a New York Hazing Case

Time limits in hazing cases are not uniform, and mixing them up can end a claim before it starts. A negligence-based injury claim generally carries a three-year limit under CPLR 214(5). Claims framed as intentional torts such as assault carry a shorter one-year period under CPLR 215(3). A hazing case often includes both theories, so a New York hazing attorney has to plan around the shortest clock, not the longest.

Students who were under 18 when injured get extra time. Under CPLR 208, a minor has three years from turning 18, which puts the effective deadline at age 21, with a cap of 10 years from the date the claim arose for most injury cases. Do not assume that extra time applies to every defendant, though. Infancy tolling does not always extend notice requirements against public bodies.

Public colleges add another layer. If the claim is against a public corporation, a written notice of claim generally must be served within ninety days of when the claim arose, under General Municipal Law 50-e. In a wrongful death case, the ninety days run from the appointment of a representative of the estate. The notice must be sworn and must state the claimant’s name and address, the nature of the claim, the time, place, and manner in which it arose, and the items of damage. A court can allow late service, but not past the limitations period, which is one year and ninety days for most municipal tort claims. For claims against the City University of New York, the Court of Claims is the exclusive forum for damages against the State and certain State-related entities, and it has no jurisdiction over individual defendants, so a case with student defendants and a CUNY defendant can require careful structuring.

One more point: a case is commenced by filing a summons and complaint with the court clerk. A demand letter or a conversation with an insurer does not stop the clock.

What to Do in the Days After a Hazing Injury

Get medical care first, and tell the treating provider the real cause of the injury. Records that say “fell” when the truth was a forced drinking ritual weaken a case later. If the injury involved alcohol, ask that blood alcohol testing and related findings be documented. Keep every discharge paper, bill, and follow-up note.

Preserve evidence before it disappears. Group chats, pledge-class messages, social media posts, photos, and videos are often deleted fast once members realize what happened. Screenshot them and save the originals. Write down names of everyone present, the location, and the sequence of events while memory is fresh. Do not delete your own messages, even embarrassing ones.

Be careful with campus processes. Colleges are required to maintain written rules for public order on campus, and CUNY schools apply the Henderson Rules under the Education Law. Federal law under the Stop Campus Hazing Act also requires institutions to publish transparency reports listing organizations found responsible for hazing, with violations, sanctions, and investigation dates. Those reports and any internal investigation file can be valuable evidence, but statements you give a dean or conduct officer can also be used against you. Speak to a lawyer before giving a detailed account to the school or to an insurer.

Do not sign releases, accept a quick settlement offer from a fraternity’s insurer, or agree to a “private resolution” with the chapter. Do not post about the incident publicly. If the student is a minor, or died, a parent or estate representative should call a lawyer right away, because the ninety-day notice clock may already be running.

Civil injury cases in New York City are filed in the Supreme Court of the county where the case belongs: New York County in Manhattan, Kings County in Brooklyn, Queens County, Bronx County, or Richmond County on Staten Island. Claims against CUNY go to the Court of Claims. Federal claims can land in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which covers Manhattan and the Bronx, or the Eastern District of New York, which covers Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Appeals from the Supreme Court go to the Appellate Division, First Department for Manhattan and the Bronx, and the Second Department for the other boroughs.

Fault, Consent, and What a Student’s Own Choices Mean for the Claim

Defendants almost always argue the student agreed to participate. New York’s rule on this is more favorable to injured people than many expect. Under CPLR 1411, a claimant’s own culpable conduct, including assumption of risk, does not bar recovery in a personal injury or wrongful death case. It reduces damages in proportion to the fault assigned to the claimant. A 2026 change added a 50 percent bar, but it applies only to motor vehicle injury actions, so hazing claims stay under the pure comparative rule.

The federal Stop Campus Hazing Act defines hazing without regard to whether the person was willing to take part. Coercion is built into the dynamic: a pledge who wants to belong is not freely choosing when refusing means losing friends, housing, or a roster spot. Those facts help answer a “he drank voluntarily” defense and fit the way New York’s criminal hazing statute focuses on risky conduct rather than the victim’s consent.

Common Questions About College Hazing Claims in New York City

Is hazing a crime in New York?

Yes. Hazing in the first degree is a class A misdemeanor when conduct creating a substantial risk of physical injury actually causes injury. Hazing in the second degree is a violation and covers the risky conduct even when no one is hurt. Both are in Article 120 of the Penal Law.

Can I sue the college, or only the students who hazed me?

Both may be possible. Individual members, the chapter, a national organization, and the institution can each carry liability depending on what they knew and what they did or failed to do. Suing the people who were directly involved alone often leaves a case without meaningful insurance or assets behind it.

What is the deadline to file a hazing lawsuit?

Negligence claims generally have three years, and intentional torts like assault have one year. Claims against public entities may require a notice of claim within ninety days. The shortest deadline that applies to your facts is the one that matters, so get advice early.

Does it matter that I agreed to take part?

It can reduce damages but does not bar recovery in a hazing injury case. New York applies pure comparative fault to non-vehicle injury claims, and the federal definition of hazing disregards willingness to participate.

How much does it cost to hire the firm?

Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning no fee unless there is a recovery. Evaluations are free and confidential.

What if the hazing victim died?

The family may pursue a wrongful death claim through the representative of the estate. If a public entity is involved, the ninety-day notice period runs from the appointment of that representative, so the estate should be opened promptly.

What if my child was a minor when the hazing happened?

CPLR 208 gives a person injured under 18 three years from their eighteenth birthday, which puts the filing deadline at age 21, subject to a ten-year cap for most injury claims. That extra time does not always apply to notice of claim requirements against public bodies, so parents should not wait.

Will the school’s investigation help my case?

It can. Findings, sanctions, and records of earlier complaints can show what the school knew. Transparency reports required by the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act list organizations found responsible, with violations and investigation dates. But anything you say to the school can be used by the school, so speak to counsel first.

Can I bring a claim if my injuries were mostly emotional?

Psychological harm from coerced humiliation or abuse can be compensable, particularly alongside physical injury. Treatment records from a therapist or psychiatrist are important proof, so start care and keep records.

Do I need to be a CUNY student for the Court of Claims to matter?

It matters when a CUNY entity is a defendant, because the Court of Claims is the exclusive forum for damages against CUNY. It cannot hear claims against individual defendants, so cases with both kinds of defendants need careful planning about where and how to file.

Is it worth pursuing a claim if the injuries seemed minor at first?

Some hazing injuries, such as head trauma, kidney injury from forced exercise, and psychological harm, show their full extent over time. A free evaluation costs nothing and clarifies whether a claim is worth pursuing before any deadline passes.

Representing Hazing Victims Across New York City and Beyond

Mark David Shirian P.C. handles hazing claims across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Long Island. Each area has its own mix of private universities, public campuses, and Greek and athletic programs, and its own county Supreme Court where a civil case would be filed:

• Manhattan: Students at NYU, Columbia, and CUNY senior colleges such as Hunter, Baruch, and City College. Cases are filed in New York County Supreme Court.
• Brooklyn: Students at Brooklyn College, Pratt Institute, LIU Brooklyn, and NYU Tandon. Cases are filed in Kings County Supreme Court.
• Queens: Students at St. John’s University, Queens College, and York College. Cases are filed in Queens County Supreme Court.
• The Bronx: Students at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus, Manhattan University, and Lehman College. Cases are filed in Bronx County Supreme Court.
• Long Island: Students at Hofstra, Adelphi, LIU Post, and Stony Brook. Cases are filed in Nassau County or Suffolk County Supreme Court.

The firm also represents clients across Westchester County, including Yonkers, White Plains, Mount Vernon, and New Rochelle. It accepts matters from Rockland County and other parts of the greater New York region, as well as claims arising anywhere in New York State. A student hurt at a school upstate or a team event out of town can still have a New York claim if the people involved are here.

Speak With a New York City College Hazing Attorney

If you or your child was hurt in an initiation, the clocks may already be running. A New York City college hazing attorney at Mark David Shirian P.C. can review what happened, identify who may be responsible, and tell you plainly what deadlines apply. Evaluations are free and confidential, and the work is handled on a contingency basis. Call today to speak with an attorney about your case.