Students

New Anti-Hazing Legislation Enacted in Wake of Tragic University Incident, Aims to Protect Students Nationwide

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Minneapolis — A new federal law, designated to counteract the perils of hazing on college campuses, was enacted this week by President Joe Biden. Named the Stop Campus Hazing Act, this legislation mandates higher education institutions to report hazing incidents and educate students on its dangers. The law traces its inception to a tragic incident in 2021 involving Danny Santulli, an 18-year-old from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Santulli suffered severe brain damage as a result of hazing rituals while pledging to the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at the University of Missouri. Subsequently, Danny lost his ability … Read more

$7.25 Million Awarded in Tragic Medical Malpractice Case After Young Student’s Preventable Death

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Columbia, Md. – A Howard County jury has awarded a $7.25 million verdict in a notable medical malpractice lawsuit following the death of 23-year-old Zion Lewis, a student at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. Lewis died from a recurrent pulmonary embolism five weeks after his doctor replaced his blood thinner medication with baby aspirin. Lewis had initially visited an emergency room a year and a half prior, experiencing severe shortness of breath. It was then that he was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary emboli, a condition involving partial blood vessel blockages in both lungs, … Read more

Jury Awards $7.25 Million in Record-Breaking Medical Malpractice Case After College Student’s Death Linked to Prescription Change

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COLUMBIA, Md. — A Howard County Circuit Court jury this month awarded $7.25 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit related to the death of 22-year-old college student Zion Lewis, marking what is believed to be the county’s largest malpractice verdict. Lewis died after his physician altered his prescribed blood thinner regimen to a lower dosage of baby aspirin, a decision that subsequently led to his untimely death. In May 2023, Lewis’ parents filed a wrongful death and medical malpractice suit against Dr. Yousuf Abdul Gaffar and Maryland Oncology Hematology, a noted oncology and hematology group … Read more

Santa Cruz School District Agrees to $4.5M Settlement in Sex Abuse Case Involving Two Former Students

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Santa Cruz, CA – A sex abuse lawsuit resulting in a $4.5 million settlement has been resolved, implicating the Santa Cruz City Schools district. The lawsuit was initiated by two men who claimed they were sexually abused by a former wrestling coach at one of the district’s high schools during their teenage years. The abuse allegations date back to the late 1990s and early 2000s when the men were students at the district-managed high school. The accused, an assistant wrestling coach at the time, allegedly used his position to commit acts of abuse against the … Read more