What happened to Benjamin Brennan? San Diego State University sued by former student in near-fatal hazing incident

19-year-old freshman Benjamin Brennan from Pennsylvania, nearly died after he was subjected to hazing at a Kappa Sigma fraternity house in 2021. The incident put the former San Diego State University student in a coma after he was forced to consume deadly amounts of alcohol and drugs by frat members.

Benjamin Brennan's family has filed a lawsuit against the fraternity and nine of its members. The lawsuit alleged that fraternity members conspired to try to cover up their actions while also denying any involvement in the hazing.

James P. Frantz, the family's lawyer, speaking about the incident, said:

"There was a 750 ml bottle of Captain Morgan rum. He was instructed, he was commanded to drink it all. And, they provided tobacco and marijuana, and he was supposed to consume that as well."

The near-fatal hazing that took place two years ago landed Benjamin Brennan in the hospital, and he is still recovering. According to the family, Benjamin Brennan faces an uncertain future.

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Benjamin Brennan's lifeless body was dumped at a nearby hospital by a frat member

According to the lawsuit, a fraternity member took Benjamin Brennan to a hospital, dumped his body, and then drove away to avoid responsibility.

Speaking on the matter, Lindsay Gibson, told ABC7 News:

"These boys just abandoned their brother and left him for dead. That's not brotherhood."

Ben's family says he faces an uncertain future (Image via Twitter)

She added:

"Greek life is a big part of college experience. But I want to caution families to have a long, thoughtful, serious conversation before your son joins that type of community, because you might think, 'Oh, not my son. My son's too smart.' And, that's exactly what I told myself, and I'm lucky that he's alive."

The lawsuit claims that Benjamin Brennan had a blood-alcohol content of 0.489, well over the limit for a teenager as the threshold is 0.08 percent for those over 21.

After the incident, Benjamin Brennan had to drop out of SDSU. According to his mother, he has trouble focusing on school work amid the medical needs "that he will need well into the future, if not the rest of his life."

Addressing reporters, attorney Frantz said:

"He pulled through but continues to suffer from severe physical and emotional injuries. He can't work, and we don't know if he'll be able to. He can't go back to school now. All those types of damages, and all the emotional distress damages he's going to suffer."

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Kappa Sigma was suspended in 2020

San Diego State University (SDSU) stated that it suspended the fraternity in 2020 and later expelled it in 2022 after the hazing incidents came to light.

As per a statement by SDSU to FOX5:

"SDSU does not have a comment on the lawsuit, in which it is not named. However, the university can speak to its ongoing approach to educate students in an effort to mitigate behavioral and other issues within our SDSU community."

The statement further read:

"Kappa Sigma was suspended from SDSU in 2020 and expelled in 2022. The chapter appealed the university’s decision earlier this year, and the university has upheld the expulsion. The chapter is not an approved, recognized student organization (RSO), and has not been since May 2020."

A similar incident took place at the same university a couple of years ago when Dylan Hernandez fell from the top of a bunk bed in his dorm room and passed away after he hit his head. He was reportedly drinking at another fraternity.

Benjamin Brennan's case was investigated by police and is with the district attorney for review. Benjamin's family is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, to be determined later, as per a report by The San Diego Union Tribune.