Michael G. Vaughan says he went to the Shrine temple to learn the secrets of the universe. What he learned, he says, is that the Shrine's initiation rites involve electric shocks and the humiliation of having one's underwear filled with strawberries and whipped cream.
Now his lawsuit against the fraternity has become cloaked in nearly as much secrecy as the rites themselves.A judge has ordered all participants in the lawsuit not to divulge details of the case. The case file has been sealed. And only those directly involved with the lawsuit know when and where to meet for the trial Dec. 9.
The lawsuit was filed last year by Vaughan, a 44-year-old brick mason who claims he was knocked unconscious and suffered other injuries during initiation rites in 1989 at the Oleika Shrine Temple in Lexington.
Before Circuit Judge George Barker issued a gag order last summer, Vaughan said he wanted to become a Shriner because the group promised spiritual and emotional fulfillment.