Mui is suing the fraternity and its MSU chapter for three counts of negligence and the individual defendants for two counts, one of which involves the violation of Garrett’s Law, which was enacted to protect members of the public from hazing. 

The complaint says the plaintiff requested that the compensatory damages and relief be determined at trial but that he hopes for compensatory damages "well in excess of $75,000," excluding interests or costs. 

Mui's attorney, Robert Lantzy of Buckfire Law, did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication. 

The complaint details an alleged incident that occurred when Mui was a business freshman at MSU in the fall of 2021. Mui rushed and accepted a bid to the fraternity. Weeks later, he and other pledges were coerced into smoking "dangerous amounts of marijuana," according to the complaint. 

The complaint says Mui felt pressured to smoke the marijuana and was under the impression that it was required to obtain membership to the fraternity. 

Over the next 48 hours, Mui felt so weak he couldn’t walk and was eventually admitted to the emergency room, according to the lawsuit. After being discharged the next day, he was readmitted after he developed nausea, severe headaches and started hearing voices. 

"Doctors determined that Mr. Mui’s symptoms, which included an altered mental state, were consistent with substance intoxication, which they connected to the dangerous amounts of marijuana Mr. Mui had been pressured and/or coerced to ingest," the suit said. 

Mui was readmitted again days later and was eventually diagnosed with an altered mental status. 

Despite being aware of his hospitalization, the complaint says the defendants still told Mui that he was "behind" in the pledge process and needed to "catch up."

A few days later, Mui and other chapter members were summoned to the fraternity house where they were forced to do calisthenic-type exercises throughout the night without being allowed to sleep, the complaint says. Mui informed one of the defendants that he felt sick and could not continue but was ordered to keep going. 

After this, Mui was hospitalized again and diagnosed with "exertional rhabdomyolysis," which is described in the case as a serious and potentially life-threatening medical condition that could result in possible damage to the kidneys and heart. 

"Following the hospitalization, Mr. Mui’s mental and physical condition continued to spiral as a result of the hazing and related misconduct he had been subjected to as a pledge of the Associate Chapter and Lambda Phi Epsilon," the complaint said. 

Mui was hospitalized several times throughout the following year for "severe mental distress and related issues," according to the complaint. 

The complaint cites the MSU RSO Handbook and the fraternity’s Member Code of Conduct, which both prohibit hazing — something the three defendants had agreed to abide by. The suit says the defendants had a responsibility to prevent the actions that would be constituted as hazing under Michigan law, but failed to do so. 

In December 2021, Mui reported the incidents to MSU, who determined the fraternity had violated two university statutes that prohibit harm and hazing. The fraternity was placed on probation and had its Registered Student Organization status suspended over the course of November and December of 2021. 

Lambda Phi Epsilon is still listed as a fraternity on MSU’s Fraternity and Sorority Life website but is listed as under probation in the “Spring 2023 Fraternity and Sorority Community Card” also on the site. 

In response to a request for comment on the lawsuit, MSU spokesperson Mark Bullion said university policy "strictly prohibits" hazing and takes all claims of hazing seriously. 

"Any student organization, group or individual engaging in hazing may be subject to disciplinary action for violating University policy, as well as criminal prosecution and/or a civil suit for violating state and federal laws," Bullion wrote in a statement. "Together, we all play a part in fostering a safe, welcoming and inclusive campus environment." 

The complaint states that on a national level, there have been at least eight publicly reported incidents of alleged hazing at Lambda Phi Epsilon chapters, which resulted in death or serious injury or the chapter being suspended or closed by its respective school. 

"Epsilon received multiple reports of hazing and related misconduct by or involving the Associate Chapter and yet nonetheless continued to negligent entrust undergraduate students, like the Individual Defendants to manage and oversee the Associate Chapter, including its pledge program," the complaint said.

Lambda Phi Epsilon did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.