PRACTICES in California & Beyond

Greek Organization Litigation

Fraternal Law Litigation

Fraternities and Sororities nationwide have come under intense scrutiny for legal issues ranging from nuisance cases to serious high-exposure incidents involving personal injuries, deaths, and property damage.  Featured on Greek Organizations’ lists of preferred defense counsel for high-exposure cases, fraternal organizations and their insurers increasingly choose Michael Osborne and Archer Norris to defend litigation claims and advise on risk management issues throughout the United States.

Proactive Defense Strategy for Industry Under Attack

The Greek community presents an easy target for expensive high-profile law suits.  Committed to controlling litigation defense costs, practice leader Michael Osborne develops defense strategies which look beyond settling individual cases to proactively protect our Fraternity and Sorority clients.  Applying methods used throughout his career in products liability litigation, Michael successfully defends and resolves high stakes litigation for Greek organizations coast to coast.

Crisis Management Counsel

Greek organizations have consistently retained our firm as crisis-management counsel to coordinate the initial investigation and media responses triggered by incidents involving serious injury or death on college campuses.  Involvement at this early stage allows us to proactively guide the course of the investigation before litigation is brought and to achieve favorable outcomes for our clients.

Leave No Stone Unturned

We believe the appellate courts will be the proving ground for several recent, precedent-setting cases against National Greek Organizations, ranging from class action law suits to wrongful death actions.  Already handling one such case, Archer Norris’s appellate lawyers are well-positioned to further define this developing area of the law through the appellate process.

Focus on Anti-Hazing Legislation

We continue to assemble information on California’s anti-hazing legislation (“Matt’s Law”) and to refine our clients’ defense strategies in lawsuits claiming hazing violations.  The legislation was passed in 2005 but has not yet been tested in the appellate courts.  Please click here if you are interested in receiving additional information about anti-hazing, risk management and other fraternal law topics as issues develop.

NameTitlePhoneEmailV-card
Osborne, Michael Partner925.930.6600 email vcard
Watt, Gary A. Partner925.930.6600 email vcard

Following is a list of recent litigation representing fraternities and sororities and their insurance companies:

  • Retained to represent a National Fraternity in wrongful-death litigation set for trial in Texas
  • Handling appeal filed in Berkeley class-action fraternity case
  • Currently working with member of National Pan-Hellenic Council on litigation matter
  • Selected by several insurance companies as exclusive defense counsel for all personal injury litigation involving Greek organizations throughout California
  • Retained by fraternities as crisis-management counsel at the time of injury to coordinate the initial investigation and media responses.  For one such incident, obtained critical interviews following a reported sexual assault resulting in the District Attorney electing not to file criminal charges against the accused fraternity member.
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