Armando Villa died during an 18-mile hike.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: The family of a Cal State Northridge student who died in a fraternity hazing incident is suing the university and fraternity, saying the young man’s death was senseless and easily preventable.
Armando Villa, who attended California State University, Northridge, died a year ago Wednesday after the 19-year-old collapsed during an 18-mile hike organized by Pi Kappa Phi.
The group was hiking in hot temperatures with little water and inadequate shoes, a school investigation found, and also concluded that hazing was to blame, according to the Huffington Post.
“It’s been a year since Armando’s death and we still have no answers,” Joseph Serrato said in a statement. “No one has stepped forward to tell us what happened to my son. I am angry and terribly sad.”
Villa pledged with the fraternity in 2013 after enrolling at CSUN as a freshman, the family’s attorney, Douglas Aberle, stated.
The lawsuit alleges that fraternity members forced pledges to go on the dangerous hike without adequate supplies as a last ritual before they could become full-fledged members. The lawsuit also claims the university had a duty to oversee fraternity activities and should have been aware of and stopped any hazing that was happening.
Pi Kappa Phi has declined to comment about litigation, but in a statement made on July 1 the national organization said its CSUN chapter was permanently closed in September 2014.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Armando’s family and all those affected by his passing,” Pi Kappa Phi Chief Executive Mark Timmes said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department opened a criminal investigation after Villa’s death, though results haven’t been released, including a coroner’s report.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Richard Biddle, who investigated the case, said he has turned it over to the district attorney’s office to consider whether charges should be filed, reported Fox News. A district attorney’s spokesman disclosed the case was under review.
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