HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) - A federal lawsuit has been filed against the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity after lawyers said a former student was injured during a hazing incident.

According to the lawsuit, Rafeal Joseph had to go to the emergency room twice with injuries that required one surgery and a blood transfusion. The injuries left Joseph unable to walk.

Court documents stated that the abuse began in December 2022 when Joseph pledged with USM's Nu Eta chapter of Omega Psi Phi. His attorneys said Joseph and other pledges were subjected to "severe abuse," which included intimidation, denying pledges sleep and food, stealing money for the pledges and beating them repeatedly with a 2x4 plank of wood.

The lawsuit claimed that on April 17, 2023, the

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