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The mother of a Northwestern University basketball player, Jordan Hankins, who ended her own life in 2017, is suing her daughter’s sorority and some of its former members. She alleges that Alpha Kappa Alpha’s hazing led to Hankins becoming depressed and anxious and, eventually, her suicide.
Felicia Hankins filed her complaint in federal court Tuesday. In addition to suing the campus chapter of AKA, Hankins also named the national branch in her lawsuit. Northwestern is not a defendant.
The complaint states that when Jordan Hankins was joining the sorority, a process known as rushing, she was subject to “physical abuse including paddling, verbal abuse, mental abuse, financial exploitation, sleep deprivation, items being thrown and dumped on her, and other forms of hazing intended to humiliate and demean her.”
Jordan Hankins allegedly told AKA members that the rituals were triggering her post-traumatic stress disorder and she was having suicidal thoughts. She was found hanging in her dormitory in January 2017.
