The Definitive Guide to Hazing for Schleicher County, Texas Families: Your Rights, the Law, and Holding Fraternities & Universities Accountable

If you’re a parent in Schleicher County, the dream of sending your child off to college can turn into a nightmare with one phone call. Imagine your son—maybe a graduate from Eldorado High School, now a freshman at Texas Tech—calling from a fraternity house, his voice slurred and scared. He was told it was just a “big brother reveal,” but it turned into hours of forced drinking. He’s sick, he’s humiliated, and the older members are laughing, filming on their phones. They tell him not to call anyone, that “brothers handle things internally.” This is not a scene from a movie. For Leonel Bermudez at the University of Houston, it was a brutal reality that nearly killed him.

Right now, our firm is fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history on behalf of Leonel Bermudez, a student who suffered rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure after alleged abuse by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter at UH. The details are harrowing: forced consumption of milk and hot dogs until vomiting, hours of extreme calisthenics, being sprayed in the face with a hose, and a “pledge fanny pack” filled with humiliating items. This $10 million lawsuit names the university, the national fraternity, and 13 individual members. It is proof that severe, dangerous hazing is happening right now on Texas campuses.

This guide is for you—parents and families in Schleicher County, Eldorado, and across the Concho Valley. Whether your child is at Angelo State University in nearby San Angelo, at Texas Tech in Lubbock, or at any Texas campus, you deserve to know the truth about hazing in 2025: what it looks like, what the law says, and how to protect your child’s health, safety, and future. We serve families throughout Texas, from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. If hazing has impacted your family, you are not alone, and you have powerful legal rights.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR A HAZING CRISIS:

• If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW: Call 911 for medical emergencies, then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911.
• In the first 48 hours: Get medical attention. Preserve evidence: screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, texts), photograph injuries, save any physical items. Write down everything you remember. Do NOT confront the fraternity/sorority, sign anything from the university, or let your child delete messages.
• Contact an experienced hazing attorney: Evidence disappears fast. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation. We provide immediate help—that’s why we’re the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.

Hazing in 2025: What It Really Looks Like in Texas

Hazing is no longer just about “hell week” or paddling. It has evolved into a sophisticated, often digitally-fueled pattern of coercion that endangers mental and physical health. Under Texas law (Education Code Chapter 37), hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act directed at a student for the purpose of initiation or affiliation that endangers their health or safety.

For Schleicher County families, understanding these modern tactics is critical:

• Alcohol & Substance Hazing: Forced drinking games (“lineups,” “century club,” “beer mile”), coerced consumption of dangerous amounts of liquor, or being pressured to use drugs. This remains the leading cause of hazing deaths nationwide.
• Physical Hazing: “Smokings” or extreme workouts (like the 100+ push-ups and 500 squats forced on Leonel Bermudez), paddling, sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme weather, or being subjected to painful or degrading physical acts.
• Psychological & Humiliation Hazing: Verbal abuse, threats of expulsion from the group, social isolation, forced wearing of embarrassing costumes or carrying humiliating items (like the “pledge fanny pack”), and public shaming.
• Digital Hazing: 24/7 monitoring via group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp), demands for immediate response at all hours, forced posting of compromising content on social media, and cyberbullying.

The location doesn’t matter—it can happen at a chapter house, an off-campus apartment, a remote Airbnb, or even online. The power dynamic is what defines it: older members using tradition and social pressure to force new members into compliance.

The Texas Legal Framework: Your Child’s Rights and Institutional Liability

Texas has strong anti-hazing laws, but understanding how they translate to real consequences is key for families seeking accountability.

Texas Hazing Law (Education Code, Chapter 37):

• Definition: A broad statute covering any reckless or intentional act that endangers physical or mental health for purposes of initiation/affiliation.
• Criminal Penalties: Ranges from a Class B Misdemeanor to a State Jail Felony if the hazing causes serious bodily injury or death. Individuals can also be charged for failing to report hazing.
• Key Protection: Consent is NOT a defense. Texas law explicitly states that a victim “agreeing” to the activity does not excuse the hazing (Sec. 37.155).
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be fined up to $10,000 and lose its recognition.

Civil Liability – The Path to Accountability & Compensation:
A criminal case, brought by the state, seeks punishment. A civil lawsuit, which we file on behalf of victims, seeks to make the victim whole and hold all responsible parties accountable. Liable parties often include:

1. The Individual Perpetrators: The members who planned, carried out, or directed the hazing.
2. The Local Chapter: As an organization that authorized or tolerated the conduct.
3. The National Fraternity/Sorority: Headquarters that may have known of a dangerous pattern but failed to intervene effectively. In the Bermudez case, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters is a defendant.
4. The University: Schools can be liable for negligent supervision if they knew or should have known about a dangerous climate and failed to act. The University of Houston and its Board of Regents are named in our lawsuit.
5. Property Owners & Third Parties: Landlords of off-campus houses or venues that enable dangerous conduct.

The National Hazing Epidemic: Patterns That Repeat in Texas

The tragedy at UH is not an isolated event. It fits a national pattern that underscores why institutions are often held liable. Consider these precedents:

• Stone Foltz (Bowling Green, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): A pledge died from alcohol poisoning after a “big/little” event. Result: A $10 million total settlement from the national fraternity and university.
• Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died after a “Bible study” drinking game. Result: The Max Gruver Act in Louisiana, making hazing a felony, and a multi-million dollar civil resolution.
• Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died from traumatic brain injury after a bid acceptance night. Result: Dozens of criminal charges and the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law.

These cases show a consistent script: forced consumption, delayed help, institutional failure, and then devastating loss. For Schleicher County families, this pattern evidence is crucial. It proves that national fraternities and universities are often on notice about these exact risks—making them potentially liable when they fail to prevent repeat occurrences in Texas.

The Texas Campus Landscape: Where Schleicher County Students Go to School

Schleicher County families often send their children to universities across the state. Here’s what you need to know about hazing at schools with deep Texas ties.

Angelo State University & The San Angelo Area

For many students from Eldorado and Schleicher County, Angelo State University (ASU) in nearby San Angelo is a common choice. As part of the Texas Tech University System, ASU has active Greek life and student organizations. Hazing risks exist in fraternities, sororities, and athletic teams. Reporting should go through the ASU Office of Student Affairs and campus police. Incidents may also fall under the jurisdiction of the San Angelo Police Department.

Texas Tech University – A Major Destination

Texas Tech University in Lubbock is a major hub for West Texas students. Its significant Greek life and spirited campus culture come with known hazing risks. Texas Tech has dealt with serious hazing allegations, including cases involving rhabdomyolysis from extreme physical hazing. The university maintains hazing policies and reporting channels through its Office of Student Conduct. For families, this means understanding that the same national organizations implicated in deaths elsewhere have chapters active in Lubbock.

Other Key Texas Universities

• University of Texas at Austin: Maintains a public online log of hazing violations, showing a pattern of incidents across fraternities, sororities, and spirit groups.
• Texas A&M University: Has faced high-profile lawsuits, including one against Sigma Alpha Epsilon alleging chemical burns and another involving the Corps of Cadets.
• Baylor University: Has confronted hazing within its athletic programs, reflecting that abuse extends beyond Greek life.
• University of Houston: As the site of our active Bermudez lawsuit, UH is a current example of how alleged systemic failure can lead to catastrophic injury and major litigation.

The Greek Ecosystem in Texas: A Web of Liability

Behind every fraternity or sorority chapter on campus is a complex network of legally responsible entities. Our firm maintains the Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, a proprietary database built from public records that maps this network. This is not theoretical—it’s how we identify every potentially liable party in a case.

Public Records Directory: Fraternities, Sororities & Greek Organizations Connected to Texas Campuses
Parents in Schleicher County deserve to know who stands behind the organizations connected to their children. Below is a sample from our directory of Texas-registered Greek entities (from IRS B83 filings and other public sources):

Organizations with Texas Presence:

• Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity – National Headquarters & Related Entities
• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc – EIN: 462267515 – Frisco, TX 75035
• Pi Kappa Phi Delta Omega Chapter Building Corporation – EIN: 371768785 – Missouri City, TX 77459
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon – Texas Sigma Incorporated – EIN: 882755427 – San Marcos, TX 78666
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc – EIN: 741380362 – Fort Worth, TX 76147
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity – Various Alumni Chapters (e.g., Frisco, Arlington-Grand Prairie)
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi – Chapters at Texas Tech, UT Tyler, UT El Paso, Texas A&M, and others.
• Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity Inc. – Chapters in Houston, San Marcos, College Station, San Antonio, and elsewhere.

This data matters because these incorporated entities often hold insurance, own property, and can be sued. In a hazing case, we don’t just sue the students; we use this intelligence to pursue the housing corporation, the alumni association, and the national organization—maximizing accountability and potential sources of compensation for victims.

Building a Powerful Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages

Winning a hazing case requires an investigative approach that anticipates defense tactics. As the attorneys handling the Bermudez v. UH case, we employ a proven strategy.

Critical Evidence We Pursue:

1. Digital Forensic Evidence: Deleted GroupMe chats, Snapchat messages, Instagram DMs, and chapter emails. We work with digital experts to recover what organizations try to hide.
2. Internal Chapter & National Records: Pledge manuals, “risk management” reports, email correspondence between local officers and national headquarters showing prior knowledge.
3. University Discipline Files: Obtained through discovery or public records requests, these can reveal a pattern of prior violations that the school failed to address adequately.
4. Medical Documentation: ER records, lab tests (like the critically high creatine kinase levels proving Bermudez’s rhabdomyolysis), and psychological evaluations for PTSD and trauma.
5. Witness Testimony: Other pledges, former members, roommates, and advisors who can break the code of silence.

Overcoming Common Defense Tactics:

• “They Consented”: We cite Texas law where consent is no defense and demonstrate the coercive power imbalance.
• “Rogue Individuals, Not the Fraternity”: We use pattern evidence from other chapters and internal documents to prove the national organization’s culture or negligent supervision.
• “It Was Off-Campus”: We establish that universities and nationals still have a duty of care and that moving hazing off-campus is a foreseeable tactic to avoid detection.

Damages: What Can Be Recovered
In a civil lawsuit, we seek to make the victim whole. Recoverable damages can include:

• Medical Expenses: Past and future hospital bills, therapy, medications.
• Lost Wages & Earning Capacity: If injuries affect the ability to work or finish school.
• Pain and Suffering: Physical pain and emotional trauma, including PTSD, anxiety, and humiliation.
• Punitive Damages: In cases of egregious conduct, to punish the defendants and deter future behavior.

Practical Guide for Schleicher County Parents & Students

For Parents – Warning Signs & Immediate Steps:

• Signs Your Child May Be Being Hazed: Unexplained injuries, extreme fatigue, sudden secrecy about group activities, personality changes (anxiety, withdrawal), constant phone use for group chats, declining grades, requests for unusual amounts of money.
• What to Do Immediately: Prioritize medical care. Help your child preserve all digital evidence (screenshots, photos). Write down a detailed account. Contact a hazing attorney before reporting to the university to protect your child’s rights and the evidence.
• The Critical Mistake to Avoid: Do not let your child “go to one last meeting” to talk it out with the chapter. This is often a tactic to intimidate them or extract a statement against their interest.

For Students – Your Rights & Safety:

• You Have the Right to Leave: You can de-pledge or quit a group at any time. Your safety is more important than membership.
• How to Report Anonymously: You can report to the National Anti-Hazing Hotline at 1-888-NOT-HAZE or through many university anonymous online portals.
• Texas Law Protects Good-Faith Reporters: You have some immunity if you report hazing or call 911 in a medical emergency, even if you were involved.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Can we sue a public Texas university like Texas Tech or Angelo State? Yes. While sovereign immunity offers some protection, exceptions exist for gross negligence, Title IX violations, and when suing individual employees. These cases often result in significant settlements.
• How long do we have to file a lawsuit? Generally, two years from the date of injury in Texas, but exceptions apply. Do not wait—evidence deteriorates quickly.
• Will our name be public? Most cases settle confidentially. We aggressively protect our clients’ privacy throughout the process.
• What if my child was drinking underage? This does not bar a claim. Hazing is a separate, illegal act. Good Samaritan laws may also offer protection for seeking medical help.

Why Attorney911 for Your Schleicher County Hazing Case

When your family faces the trauma of hazing, you need more than a general personal injury lawyer. You need attorneys who understand how powerful institutions fight back—and who know how to win. From our Texas offices, we serve families in Schleicher County, Eldorado, San Angelo, and across the state.

Our Proven Advantages in Hazing Litigation:

• Active, High-Stakes Experience: Right now, we lead the Leonel Bermudez v. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit—a $10 million case involving catastrophic injury. We are in the fight.
• Insider Insurance Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense lawyer for large companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers try to deny, delay, and minimize claims. We know their playbook because we used to run it.
• Complex Institutional Litigation: Managing Partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by national fraternities, university boards, or their high-priced defense firms. We’ve faced billion-dollar defendants before.
• The Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: We don’t start from scratch. We maintain a proprietary database of over 1,400 Greek organizations in Texas. We know how to find the housing corporations, alumni associations, and national entities that share liability.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña is a fluent Spanish speaker, ensuring we can serve all Texas families with comfort and clarity.
• Contingency Fee Basis: You pay nothing unless we recover money for you. We invest our resources to investigate and fight for your family.

Your Path to Accountability Starts With a Confidential Conversation

If you suspect your child has been hazed at Angelo State, Texas Tech, or any college campus, time is the enemy. Evidence disappears, witnesses get coached, and the institution begins building its defense.

We offer free, confidential, no-obligation consultations. In this meeting, we will:

• Listen compassionately to your story.
• Review any evidence you have.
• Explain your legal options and the realistic paths forward.
• Answer your questions about the process, timeline, and costs.
• Help you make an informed decision about the best way to protect your child and pursue justice.

You don’t have to navigate this alone. Let us use our experience, data, and determination to help your family.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911 today.

Call 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com
Se habla Español.

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and law. We encourage you to seek legal counsel for advice on your specific situation. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship until a written agreement is signed.