AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit filed by a former Australian exchange student at the University of Texas at Austin alleges that he was attacked by members of a prominent campus fraternity last year.
In his suit against the fraternity, Julian Ascione alleges that members of UT's chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Texas Rho fraternity attacked him in a parking area of the house during a party in March 2023.
Ascione went to the party at the chapter's house on Pearl Street. According to the filing, when Ascione's date went to the bathroom, some frat members asked Ascione to leave but allowed him wait for his girlfriend.
Later on, Ascione alleges a separate group of fraternity members demanded that he leave and subsequently attacked him.
"His leg was massively broken in numerous places, ligaments torn. They really hurt this young man in a profound way," Clay Rawlings, Ascione's attorney, said.
According to the lawsuit, Ascione underwent several surgeries and physical therapy. The lawsuit filed against the defendants is asking for more than $1 million in damages for his injuries.
"And the consensus among his doctors now is in 10 years, give or take, he's going to need a total knee replacement," Rawlings said.
Seven years ago, Sigma Alpha Epsilon was suspended after a report surfaced that it had committed health and safety violations and failed to abide by the national organization's standards. The fraternity staff said it received a report of a hazing incident through its anonymous toll-free hotline.
In an email, UT confirmed to KVUE that Sigma Alpha Epsilon is not a registered student organization and is not affiliated with the university.
"Fraternity culture in general, in the United States, is aggressive. They measure their masculinity by how much alcohol they can consume in the shortest amount of time," said Dr. Susan Lipkins, an expert in hazing, harassment and bullying.
Rawlings said the defendants have not been charged with assault, but Rawlings has requested a jury trial, determined to get justice for his client.
"They say time heals all wounds. Well, that's not exactly correct," Rawlings said.
KVUE also reached out to the national Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization for a comment, as well as the attorney representing the defendants. We did not hear back from either by the time of publication.
Austin police also confirmed that the department did receive a call for a disturbance in the area on the night of the incident, but the investigation has not been closed.