Former University of Oklahoma student sues fraternity

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – A former University of Oklahoma student has filed a lawsuit alleging he was beaten during a fraternity’s 2015 initiation.

Blake Novacek is suing the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and others over an incident he alleges happened after pledges were called to the fraternity’s house in Norman on Oct. 11, 2015.

Novacek says he was hit in the abdomen with a baseball bat after failing to recite some pledge facts, causing him to hit his head and lose consciousness. The lawsuit says one member threatened to retaliate if Novacek didn’t “keep his mouth shut,” and his car was vandalized.

The two fraternity members named as defendants deny the accusations. The president of the Beta Theta Pi Corporation of Oklahoma says the lawsuit is “entirely without merit.”

Novacek, whose father is former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek, lives in Texas.