Following his hazing death, Caleb Wilson's parents sue Omega Psi Phi fraternity, 12 members, and the Southern University system for wrongful death and negligence.
www.fox8live.com
09/26/25
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The parents of Caleb Jayden Wilson, a Southern University student who died in February after an alleged hazing incident, filed a civil lawsuit on Friday, seeking wrongful death and survival damages from the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, more than a dozen of its members, and the university system.
The “Petition for Wrongful Death and Survival Damages” was filed by Urania Brown Wilson and Corey Wilson, Sr., in the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish. The lawsuit names Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and its local Beta Sigma and Lambda Alpha chapters, as well as the State of Louisiana, through the Board of Supervisors of Southern University and A&M College, as defendants.
The lawsuit asserts claims of negligence, gross negligence, and intentional conduct, alleging that the fraternity organizations failed to supervise their members and prevent illegal hazing, and that the university failed in its duty to protect students from foreseeable harm.
In addition to the organizational bodies, the parents named 12 individuals as defendants in the civil action, including Caleb M. McCray, Kyle M. Thurman, and Isaiah E. Smith, all of whom have been previously arrested and charged criminally by Baton Rouge police in connection with the death.
McCray faces charges of manslaughter and felony criminal hazing.
The petition states that following Wilson’s collapse at the warehouse, fraternity members delayed contacting emergency services, instead transporting him to a local hospital where they allegedly gave false information about the circumstances of his injury before leaving.
The Southern University system previously expelled the Beta Sigma chapter of Omega Psi Phi after an internal investigation concluded the chapter violated the student code of conduct. The university also implemented a temporary ban on all new member intake activities for Greek organizations.
Wilson’s parents are seeking compensation for the loss of their son, his conscious pain and suffering before his death, and expenses related to his funeral and burial.
The civil action seeks to hold all parties involved—from the individuals who allegedly inflicted the blows to the national organization and the school—accountable under Louisiana’s laws, including the Max Gruver Act, which criminalized certain forms of hazing.