MORGANTOWN — A civil suit filed Thursday in Monongalia County Circuit Court claims an 20-year-old WVU student was sexually assaulted after getting intoxicated at a “restricted” event hosted by Pi Lambda Phi fraternity at Blaze Nightclub.
According to the suit, the events in question took place on the evening of Dec. 3, 2021, and the morning of Dec. 4, 2021. The suit states the plaintiff, identified as S.W., was not of legal drinking age at the time and was invited to the social event by a fraternity member.
Blaze Nightclub opened at 228 Walnut Street in October 2017 and is no longer in business.
The suit lists Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity Inc., as well as Conner Looney in his capacity as fraternity president and fraternity member Joseph McMaster as defendants.
Also listed as defendants are Nut Club LLC, doing business as Blaze, and Maxwell Cummons and Robert Khoury, both listed as managing members of the business.
The lawsuit includes three counts, the first of which states Blaze Nightclub, and thereby its ownership, were negligent in their legal duties by allowing the plaintiff to procure and consume alcohol on its premises when she was underage and after she had become visibly intoxicated to the point of falling. Further, the suit claims the business failed to have adequate security staff present to prevent such a scenario.
Cummons said he had not been made aware of this situation and did not wish to comment on the lawsuit.
Count II claims defendants Pi Lambda Phi and Looney failed in their duty to supervise the “restricted” social event and comply with a number of mandates from West Virginia University’s Center for Fraternal Values and Leadership by allowing underage consumption of alcohol, not providing the required ratio of one alcohol/substance-free monitor for every 15 attendees (including one chapter officer) and not providing “reasonable care” to all guests leaving the function, among others.
The suit states Pi Lambda Phi and its officers ignored the plaintiff’s extreme intoxication and allowed McMaster to take the plaintiff to his residence where, according to Count III, “he took advantage of the Plaintiff’s obviously inebriated state by engaging in a sexual intrusion of her without consent.”
A representative of Connecticut-based Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity Inc. said the organization was not aware of the suit and intended to look into the matter.
Publicly listed numbers for Khoury were not active. Contact information for McMaster and Looney was not available.
TWEET @DominionPostWV
