Lawsuit over Virginia Tech hazing suspension settled

ROANOKE, Va. – A lawsuit has been settled between Virginia Tech and a former student who was accused of overseeing a ceremony that violated the school’s hazing policy.

The federal lawsuit filed last month “has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of both parties,” Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski told The Roanoke Times on Wednesday.

Darrien Brown sued the university, alleging that it denied him due process when administrators suspended him for two semesters for allegedly overseeing a Corps of Cadets blood-pinning ceremony in October.

During the ceremony, the sharp ends of military pins are pushed into the chests of cadets. Brown’s lawsuit described the ceremony as “a Corps tradition.”

Rob Dean, an attorney for Brown, declined to comment on the lawsuit, the Times reported. Neither Dean nor Owzarski would confirm whether Brown was readmitted to the university.