The Ultimate Guide for Marble Falls Parents: Holding Fraternities, Sororities, and Universities Accountable for Hazing

A Texas Parent’s Worst Nightmare: Your Child is Hurt During Pledging

Imagine your child, a bright student from Marble Falls you sent off to a Texas university, texts you late at night. Their words are vague, but their fear is palpable. They talk about “mandatory events,” feeling trapped, and not being able to say no. You later learn they were forced to drink dangerous amounts of alcohol, subjected to brutal physical workouts, or humiliated in a group chat—all to earn a place in an organization. They come home to Burnet County injured, traumatized, and afraid, while the university and the national fraternity offer hollow promises and closed-door meetings.

This is not a hypothetical scenario. It is happening right now across Texas, and families in Marble Falls, Spicewood, Horseshoe Bay, and across Burnet County are not immune. The illusion of wholesome campus tradition is shattered for families when hazing turns dangerous. Right now, we are actively fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history, representing Leonel Bermudez in his $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston, the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter, and its national headquarters, as detailed in media reports from Click2Houston and ABC13. This case is a stark, local example of the systemic failure to protect students.

This comprehensive guide is written specifically for parents and families in Marble Falls and the Highland Lakes region. We will explain what modern hazing really looks like, the Texas laws designed to protect your child, and the legal pathways to hold powerful institutions accountable. If your child has been hurt, you are not alone, and you have rights.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR A HAZING CRISIS

If you are reading this because your child is in crisis, act now:

• Call 911 if there is any medical emergency.
• Then call us, Attorney911, at 1-888-ATTY-911. We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.
• In the first 48 hours:
  • Get medical attention immediately.
  • PRESERVE EVIDENCE: Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, texts), photograph injuries, save any physical objects. Do not let your child delete anything.
  • Write down everything your child tells you—names, dates, locations, specifics.
  • DO NOT confront the fraternity, sorority, or university. Do not sign anything from the school or an insurance adjuster. Let us guide you.

The Texas Greek Ecosystem: A Web of Organizations Serving Marble Falls Families

When a hazing incident occurs, parents often hear that it was the action of “a few bad apples.” The truth is far more complex. Behind the familiar Greek letters on campus is a dense network of legally recognized organizations—housing corporations, alumni chapters, educational foundations—that hold insurance, own property, and share responsibility.

We maintain a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, built from public records, to map this ecosystem. This is not theoretical; it is investigative fact. For families in Marble Falls and Burnet County, understanding this network is the first step toward real accountability.

Where Marble Falls and Highland Lakes Families Send Their Kids

Students from our community attend universities across Texas. Many stay close to home at excellent Central Texas schools, while others head to major statewide hubs with vibrant—and sometimes dangerous—Greek systems.

Local & Regional Campuses:

• Texas A&M University-Central Texas (Killeen, Bell County)
• Texas State University (San Marcos, Hays County)
• Concordia University Texas (Austin, Travis County)
• Southwestern University (Georgetown, Williamson County)

Major Statewide Greek Life Hubs:

• University of Texas at Austin (Travis County)
• Texas A&M University (College Station, Brazos County)
• University of Houston (Harris County)
• Baylor University (Waco, McLennan County)
• Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Dallas County)

Whether your child commutes to Texas State or lives on campus at UT Austin, the organizations they interact with are part of a vast, data-mapped system.

Public Records Directory: Greek Organizations Connected to Central Texas Campuses

Based on IRS filings and public records, here is a snapshot of the organizations operating in the Austin-Round Rock metro area and serving Texas campuses. These are not accusations but facts of the operational landscape.

In the Austin-Round Rock Metro (154+ Greek Entities):

• Sigma Alpha Epsilon – Texas Rho Corp., Austin, TX. IRS B83 Filings.
• Delta Tau Delta – Gamma Iota Chapter, Austin, TX. IRS B83 Filings.
• Beta Xi House Corp. of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Austin, TX. Cause IQ Metro Listing.
• Building Corporation – Alpha Delta Pi (Delta), Austin, TX. Cause IQ Metro Listing.
• Texas Rho Housing Corporation (ΣAE), Austin, TX. Cause IQ Metro Listing.
• Texas Alpha Phi House Corporation, Austin, TX. Cause IQ Metro Listing.
• Chi Omega Fraternity, Austin, TX 78705. EIN: 740555581. IRS B83 Filing.
• Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Austin, TX 78705. EIN: 741130606. IRS B83 Filing.
• Sigma Lambda Alpha Sorority Inc., Austin, TX 78709. EIN: 900956019. IRS B83 Filing.

Statewide Organizations with Cross-Metro Presence (Illustrating the Network):

• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, College Station, TX 77843. EIN: 900293166. IRS B83 Filing. (Also listed in filings for UT Tyler, UTEP, Texas Tech, Lamar, and others).
• Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, Nederland, TX 77627. EIN: 746064445. IRS B83 Filing. (Connected to Houston metro Cause IQ listings).
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Waco, TX 76710. EIN: 364091267. IRS B83 Filing. (Connected to Houston and Beaumont metro Cause IQ listings).

This directory exists to show one thing: when hazing occurs, there are multiple entities behind the scenes that our firm knows how to identify and investigate. You don’t start from zero. We start with the data.

Hazing in 2025: Beyond the Stereotypes

Hazing is not simply “boys will be boys” or “harmless tradition.” Under Texas law, it is a crime. It evolves, becoming more digital and psychologically manipulative.

Modern Hazing Methods:

• Digital Coercion: 24/7 demands via GroupMe, mandatory location sharing, social media humiliation, and filmed challenges.
• “Optional” But Mandatory Acts: Activities framed as voluntary where refusal means social ostracization or denial of a “Big.”
• Extreme Physical “Wellness”: Brutal workouts disguised as fitness tests, leading to injuries like rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown), as alleged in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case where the pledge was hospitalized with acute kidney failure.
• Psychological Torment: Sleep deprivation, forced isolation, degrading interviews, and threats of expulsion from the group.
• Off-Campus “Retreats”: Moving the most severe acts to Airbnbs or rural properties to avoid campus oversight.

The Leonel Bermudez case at UH is a tragic textbook example. As reported, his alleged hazing included a degrading “pledge fanny pack,” forced consumption of milk and hot dogs until vomiting, being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” and extreme physical workouts at Yellowstone Boulevard Park that led to life-threatening kidney injury.

Texas Hazing Law: Your Child’s Rights and Institutional Liability

Texas has clear, strong statutes against hazing, but they are only as good as their enforcement. For Marble Falls parents, understanding this framework is crucial.

Texas Education Code, Chapter 37 (Hazing):

• Definition: Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation or 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.
• Consent is NOT a Defense: Texas law (§37.155) explicitly states that a victim’s “consent” to the activity is irrelevant.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be fined up to $10,000 and lose its university recognition.

Civil Liability Goes Further:
A civil lawsuit seeks compensation and accountability from every responsible party. In a serious case, potential defendants include:

1. The Individual Perpetrators: The members who planned and carried out the acts.
2. The Local Chapter: As an entity, for fostering the culture.
3. The National Headquarters: For negligent supervision, failure to enforce policies, and ignoring patterns of misconduct across chapters (like Pi Kappa Phi’s national organization in the Bermudez case).
4. The University: For negligent supervision, deliberate indifference to a known risk, or Title IX violations if the hazing is sexualized.
5. Housing Corporations & Alumni Boards: The entities that own the property and often carry insurance.

Why National Histories Matter:
When a chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) engages in forced drinking, the national organization cannot claim ignorance. The death of Stone Foltz at Bowling Green State University in 2021 followed a nearly identical “Big/Little” drinking script. This pattern establishes foreseeability, a key element in proving negligence. The same applies to Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), Phi Delta Theta, and others with documented national hazing tragedies.

Building a Unbeatable Case: The Attorney911 Data-Driven Advantage

Filing a lawsuit is one thing. Winning it against well-funded national fraternities and university legal teams is another. Our approach is built on two decades of complex litigation experience.

Our Investigative Strategy Leverages:

• The Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: We don’t just name the chapter; we identify every related legal entity (house corps, alumni associations, foundations) from public records to ensure no source of insurance or liability is missed.
• Digital Forensics: We work with experts to recover deleted group chats, social media messages, and metadata that chapters desperately try to destroy. As we advise in our educational video on documenting evidence, preservation is key.
• Pattern Evidence: We subpoena national fraternity records to prove they knew about identical dangerous “traditions” at other chapters but failed to act.
• University Record Audits: We use public records requests and discovery to obtain prior incident reports, revealing if the school knew this chapter or these members were a risk.

Why Our Firm’s Background is Decisive:

• Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as a defense attorney for large insurance companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers will try to deny, delay, and minimize your claim. We know their playbook because we used to run it.
• BP Texas City Explosion Litigation: Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in this litigation against a billion-dollar corporation. We are not intimidated by the deep pockets of a national fraternity or a state university system.
• Dual Civil & Criminal Expertise: Ralph’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand the interplay between criminal hazing charges and civil lawsuits, allowing us to strategically advise families through both processes.

Practical Steps for Marble Falls Parents and Students

If You Suspect Hazing:

1. Talk to Your Child: Use open, non-judgmental questions. “Are you ever asked to do things that make you uncomfortable to fit in?” “Do you feel safe at your chapter events?”
2. Look for Signs: Unexplained injuries, drastic weight change, severe sleep deprivation, withdrawal from family, obsessive phone checking for group messages, anxiety about “mandatory” events.

If Hazing Has Occurred:

1. Prioritize Health: Seek medical and psychological care immediately. Tell the doctors exactly what happened for the record.
2. Preserve Evidence: This is critical. Follow our guide on using your phone to document a legal case. Screenshot everything.
3. Report Strategically: You can report to campus police and the Dean of Students, but understand the university’s primary interest may be limiting its own liability. Consult with us first.
4. Consult an Attorney Before: Speaking with university investigators in depth, signing any documents, or speaking with insurance adjusters. Common mistakes can inadvertently damage a claim, as we outline in our video on client mistakes.

Your Time to Act is Limited: Texas Statutes of Limitations

In Texas, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a civil personal injury lawsuit. However, the clock starts ticking the moment the hazing occurs. Evidence disappears, witnesses graduate, and memories fade. Do not wait for the university to complete its “internal investigation.” We explain these critical deadlines in our video on statutes of limitations.

Why Marble Falls Families Choose Attorney911

We are not a high-volume personal injury firm that dabbles in hazing cases. We are Texas-based complex litigation specialists who apply a military-grade investigative strategy to these deeply personal tragedies. We serve families from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, representing Texans in their toughest fights.

We represent Leonel Bermudez in his active, high-stakes lawsuit against the University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi because we believe in taking on the powerful institutions that allow this culture to persist. We fight for answers, for accountability, and for the maximum compensation our clients need to heal and move forward.

If your child has been hazed at any Texas university—whether it’s a physical assault in the Corps of Cadets, forced drinking at a fraternity, or psychological torment in a sorority—you have a right to justice. The organizations involved have insurance and lawyers. You should have a firm with the experience, data, and determination to level the playing field.

Contact us today for a free, completely confidential consultation. We will listen to your story, explain your legal options, and help you decide the best path for your family. You pay nothing unless we win your case. Learn more about how contingency fees work.

Call Attorney911, the Legal Emergency Lawyers™, at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). Se habla Español.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of the UH Pi Kappa Phi Case:

• Click2Houston Investigation: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/11/21/only-on-2-lawsuit-alleges-severe-hazing-at-university-of-houstons-pi-kappa-phi-chapter-fraternity/
• ABC13 Eyewitness News Coverage: https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/
• Hoodline Summary: https://hoodline.com/2025/11/university-of-houston-and-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity-face-10m-lawsuit-over-alleged-hazing-and-abuse/

Attorney911 Educational Videos:

• Documenting Evidence with Your Phone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
• Texas Statutes of Limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
• Client Mistakes That Can Ruin a Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IYsoxOSxY
• How Contingency Fees Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc

Attorney911 Main Website:

• Contact for Free Consultation: https://attorney911.com

Legal Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice regarding a hazing incident, please contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a confidential consultation.

© The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911). All rights reserved.