BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A bill that would give people more room to sue when someone dies from hazing is heading to the full Louisiana Senate for debate.
Sen. Dan Claitor's bill passed a Senate judiciary committee Tuesday. The proposal would allow people to claim additional legal damages if a hazing death is determined to be caused by a reckless disregard for the victim's safety.
The Baton Rouge Republican says he thinks the threat of costly civil lawsuits will deter dangerous hazing activity.
The measure follows the indictment last week of four people in the death of a Louisiana State University student allegedly subjected to a hazing ritual.
Lawmakers this year are also scheduled to debate a bill that would strengthen criminal penalties for hazing.
