Coppin State Fraternity Ordered To Stop All Activities Amidst Hazing Allegations
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Allegations of brutal hazing lead to a multi-million dollar lawsuit against a fraternity at Coppin State University. Now WJZ learns the fraternity has been ordered to stop all campus activities.
Meghan McCorkell has been following the case.
This week, leaders with Kappa Alpha Psi ordered the Coppin State chapter to stop operating altogether amidst hazing allegations.
Night after night for more than a month, Johnny Powell says he was forced to endure torture.
"We were caned and paddled throughout the night," said Powell. "One of the members took a wine bottle opener and he was twisting it in my hands."
All so he could become a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi at Coppin State University.
The beatings so bad, he eventually wound up in the hospital for five days. The doctor telling him...
"He was saying, you know, you could have died," Powell said.
Powell has now filed a $4 million lawsuit against the fraternity and the Baltimore Alumni Chapter, who he says meted out most of the punishment.
"We're not talking about young people who did this to him, we're talking about grown men in their 30s and 40s who were in the graduate level chapter," said Jimmy Bell, Powell's attorney.
Bell is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi and says his brothers must take action.
"I don't want someone to die this spring because my fraternity people were too arrogant and too short-sighted to fix this problem," he said.
In September of last year after the hazing allegations, Kappa Alpha Psi issued a moratorium on accepting any new members. Months later, it was lifted for alumni chapters.
Now WJZ has obtained a cease and desist letter, ordering the Coppin State and Baltimore Alumni Chapters to stop operating.
"I don't think anybody should be hazed to be part of anything," said Powell.
Powell hopes his lawsuit could save a life.
Powell's attorney says he tried to handle the case out of court, but didn't get a response from the fraternity.
A similar hazing lawsuit has been filed against Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Bowie State.