Czyżewscy Law Firm wins a compensation case for hazing in the armed forces

On 25 September 2018, a team from Czyżewscy Law Firm won court compensation for the harm suffered by our Client, a victim of hazing, during his compulsory military service.

Persistent mental and physical harassment of the young recruit by older soldiers, which was never duly addressed or prevented by the unit’s command, has caused our Client to suffer a major mental breakdown that continues to haunt him until the present day and to impair his normal functioning in spite of the years that have passed since. The hazing also violated our Client’s personal rights, namely his mental health, dignity and reputation.

Throughout the proceedings, the defendant, the State Treasury, contested its liability for hazing in the military and its impact on our Client.

The Court of Appeals in Warsaw concurred with our law firm’s view and granted in its entirety the request for compensation in the amount of PLN 200,000. The court left no doubt that, in a state of law, and specifically in the units overseen by the State Treasury, there should be zero tolerance for hazing that sometimes takes a form of torturing young soldiers. During the appeals hearing, our Client was represented by Szymon Studziński, attorney at law.