Court Affirms First Amendment Rights of Hilliard Family’s Counsel in UC Riverside Hazing Death Lawsuit

Choose Helps Legal professional’s Freedom to Talk about Case on Social Media

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, USA, September 12, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — A Riverside Superior Court choose upheld an lawyer’s First Amendment rights to free speech involving a lawsuit filed on behalf of a household suing a UC Riverside fraternity over an alleged 2018 hazing demise.

Tyler Hilliard, a 20-year-old enterprise main died Sept. 16, 2018, throughout an alleged hazing ritual whereas pledging to Alpha Phi Alpha – Pi Epsilon Chapter.

One of the household’s attorneys, V. James DeSimone, of V. James DeSimone Legislation, posted a TikTok discussing the Hilliards’ wrongful demise lawsuit, drawing consideration to the fears witnesses and victims have, main them to invoke the Fifth Amendment. His TikTok didn’t even title the fraternity.

The fraternity’s lawyer, G. Edwin Rush, of Sanders Roberts LLP, wished the court docket to order DeSimone to take away the TikTok, and to put him beneath a gag order to cease him from discussing the lawsuit in any respect outdoors of court docket.

On Sept. 11 Riverside County Superior Court Choose Carole Greene bolstered the plaintiffs’ and their counsel’s proper to free speech, after listening to arguments from each events.

The civil rights authorized staff for the Hilliard household, Toni J. Jaramilla and DeSimone, have been proactive in addressing hazing issues associated to the case.

Reacting to the court docket’s affirmation, DeSimone shared a brand new TikTok detailing the fraternity’s try and take away his earlier posts, and appealed to these with details about Hilliard’s demise or the hazing that APA pledges confronted to return ahead.

“This can be a demise that might have been prevented,” he mentioned. “Hazing ought to by no means happen. We’ve proof it occurred right here and we’re seeking to put a cease to it so lives will be saved.”

The trial in opposition to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity – Pi Epsilon Chapter, on behalf of Hilliard’s household, is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2024.

The lawsuit was filed in Riverside Superior Court; Kimble, Hilliard v. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., et al; RIC-1906176 (Dec. 20, 2019).

Los Angeles civil rights lawyer V. James DeSimone has devoted his 35-year regulation profession to offering vigorous and moral illustration to attain justice for these whose civil and constitutional rights are violated.

Robert Frank
Newsroom Public Relations
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