Texas Students Sue Fraternity After Hazing Incident Left Them 'Permanently Disfigured' - Report

An ‘extra heavy-duty cleaner’ was poured on two freshmen candidates for permanent fraternity membership. It’s unknown yet whether the offenders knew about the toxic effect of the substance.

Two students from Texas A&M University sued the head of a fraternity after a hazing incident reportedly left them with indelible scars, US media reported on Friday.

According to the lawsuit, filed by Patrick Close and Jose Figueroa on 18 October, the students wanted to become members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) and were taken on 26 March to an initiation ritual at the SAE House barn.

There the pair was reportedly doused with various substances, including an "industrial-strength cleanser known as SC-200," capable of dissolving some metals.

Close and Figueroa received severe skin burns and were immediately taken to the hospital, where they had “skin graft surgery and eventually underwent a second skin graft surgery." The incident was said to leave the students "permanently disfigured."

The members of the university’s SAE chapter were suspended from their activities for two years, according to associate vice president of Marketing & Communications at Texas A&M Kelly Brown.

"The fraternity lost its appeal and was notified last night that their organization is suspended for two years. Following that period, they will be on probation for two years," Brown said in a statement to 25 News. "Texas A&M will not tolerate actions or behavior that degrades, intimidates, humiliates or endangers students.”

The plaintiffs, who are awaiting a jury trial, stressed that the accident violates the Texas anti-hazing statute.