Twenty-year-old Tyler Hilliard was attending a fraternity gathering with his pledge brothers at Mount Rubidoux, a popular hiking area, which was located nearby. The event took place a week before the beginning of his junior year at the University of California, Riverside.
“Gold paddle day” was the name of the day, which was a Saturday in September of 2018, according to the text messages that were found on Hilliard’s phone.
In a report that was published around the same time by the Los Angeles Times, it was stated that members of Hilliard’s fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, made him consume an entire onion that was doused in spicy sauce, drink an excessive amount of water, and get smacked with a piece of a cactus.
On that day, he was taken right away to the hospital. His family reported that while he was sleeping that night, his heart stopped seven times, and he was ultimately pronounced dead. The death of Hilliard, which was a result of hazing, was quickly examined by the police and by his family.
Legal action was not taken against the individuals who were involved in the incident.
Nearly seven years later, “Tyler’s Law” will be enacted with the intention of ensuring that no other college students in the state of California are subjected to hazing occurrences of a similar nature.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Hilliard’s mother, Myeasha Kimble, sobbed as she stated, “It’s been a long time coming.” “Just the suffering we have endured.”
The state’s anti-hazing legislation was expanded by Tyler’s Law, AB 2193, which was passed in September. In California, hazing victims will gain the right to sue colleges beginning in 2026 if they knew about or should have known about hazing episodes and did nothing to prevent them.
“It sends a message to these universities that if you’re going to have fraternities that are connected with your university, make sure that they are following the law and following the rule,” attorney V. James Desimone stated. “Because hazing is a crime. And you will be prosecuted and you will be held accountable.”
Not only does the law mandate that occurrences of hazing be collated into an annual report, but it also mandates that disclosures be made regarding whether or not such incidents were connected to student organizations.
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The law was a fantastic idea, according to Dorian Hu, a student at the University of Southern California who is committing to join a fraternity.
“The school does have the brand name attached to these incidents,” he stated. “In my eyes it does make sense that the schools are held accountable.”
