Missouri City Hazing Lawsuit Guide: Protecting Your Child on Texas Campuses

For Missouri City Parents: When the College Dream Becomes a Nightmare

Imagine your child, a student from right here in Missouri City, heads off to college with excitement and hope. They join a fraternity, sorority, Corps program, or athletic team seeking friendship and belonging. Then the phone calls change. They sound exhausted at all hours. They mention “mandatory” events during exam weeks. They show unexplained bruises during visits home. When you ask what’s happening, they shut down or give vague answers about “tradition” or “earning their place.”

This isn’t just parental worry—this is the reality facing families across Fort Bend County and throughout Missouri City when hazing infiltrates campus life. Right now, less than an hour from Missouri City at the University of Houston, a Missouri City family is living every parent’s worst fear through the Leonel Bermudez hazing case.

In late 2025, Leonel Bermudez, a transfer student pledging Pi Kappa Phi’s Beta Nu chapter at UH, suffered rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure after what court documents describe as brutal hazing. The details emerging from this $10 million lawsuit—filed by our firm—are every Missouri City parent’s warning: forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting; 100+ push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion; being sprayed with a hose “similar to waterboarding”; carrying a degrading “pledge fanny pack” 24/7. Bermudez’s urine turned brown, he was hospitalized for four days, and faces ongoing risk of permanent kidney damage.

This is happening right now at a major Texas university, and our firm—The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911)—represents the victim. If this can happen at UH, it can happen at Texas A&M, UT Austin, SMU, Baylor, or any campus where Missouri City families send their children.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR HAZING EMERGENCIES:

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for medical emergencies
• Then call Attorney911: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
• We provide immediate help – that’s why we’re the Legal Emergency Lawyers™

In the first 48 hours:

• Get medical attention immediately, even if the student insists they are “fine”
• Preserve evidence BEFORE it’s deleted:
  • Screenshot group chats, texts, DMs immediately
  • Photograph injuries from multiple angles
  • Save physical items (clothing, receipts, objects)
• Write down everything while memory is fresh (who, what, when, where)
• Do NOT:
  • Confront the fraternity/sorority
  • Sign anything from the university or insurance company
  • Post details on public social media
  • Let your child delete messages or “clean up” evidence

Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours:

• Evidence disappears fast (deleted group chats, destroyed paddles, coached witnesses)
• Universities move quickly to control the narrative
• We can help preserve evidence and protect your child’s rights
• Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for immediate consultation

Hazing in 2025: What Missouri City Families Need to Recognize

For families in Missouri City and across Fort Bend County, understanding modern hazing is crucial. Today’s hazing isn’t just about “boys will be boys” pranks—it’s systematic abuse designed to control, humiliate, and test loyalty, often disguised as “tradition” or “team building.”

Clear, Modern Definition of Hazing

Hazing means any forced, coerced, or strongly pressured action tied to joining, keeping membership, or gaining status in a group, where the behavior endangers physical or mental health, humiliates, or exploits. In Texas and under federal law, “I agreed to it” does not automatically make it safe or legal when there’s peer pressure and power imbalance.

Main Categories of Hazing Affecting Missouri City Students

Alcohol and Substance Hazing

• Forced or coerced drinking during “Big/Little” nights, bid acceptances, or “family tree” games
• Chugging challenges, “lineups,” or pressure to consume unknown substances
• The Leonel Bermudez UH case involved forced consumption until vomiting

Physical Hazing

• Paddling and beatings (common in some NPHC traditions despite national prohibitions)
• Extreme calisthenics (“smokings”) far beyond normal conditioning
• Sleep deprivation, food/water deprivation, exposure to extreme elements
• In the UH Pi Kappa Phi case: 100+ push-ups, 500 squats, cold-weather workouts in underwear

Sexualized and Humiliating Hazing

• Forced nudity or partial nudity
• Simulated sexual acts, “roasted pig” positions, degrading costumes
• Acts with racial or sexist overtones, slurs, or role-play
• The “pledge fanny pack” in the UH case contained condoms and sex toys as humiliation

Psychological Hazing

• Verbal abuse, threats, isolation from non-members
• Manipulation or forced confessions of personal information
• Public shaming in meetings or group settings

Digital/Online Hazing

• Group chat dares on GroupMe, WhatsApp, Discord
• “Challenges” requiring compromising photos/videos on Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok
• Pressure to share live location tracking 24/7
• Public humiliation via social media stories or posts

Where Hazing Actually Happens at Texas Schools

Missouri City families should understand hazing extends beyond stereotypes:

Fraternities and Sororities

• Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities
• Panhellenic sororities
• National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC – Divine Nine)
• Multicultural Greek Council groups

Corps of Cadets / Military Programs

• Texas A&M Corps of Cadets (with documented hazing lawsuits)
• ROTC programs at various campuses
• Military-style discipline groups

Athletic Teams

• Football, basketball, baseball programs
• Cheer and spirit squads
• Swimming, track, and other sports

Other Organizations

• Marching bands and performance groups
• Spirit organizations (Texas Cowboys, etc.)
• Some academic, service, or cultural clubs

The common threads: social status, tradition, secrecy, and power imbalance keep these practices alive even when everyone “knows” hazing is illegal.

Texas Hazing Law: What Missouri City Families Need to Know

Understanding the legal framework is crucial for Missouri City families considering action. Texas has specific anti-hazing provisions in the Education Code, plus federal laws that create overlapping accountability.

Texas Education Code – Chapter 37, Subchapter F (Hazing)

§ 37.151 Definition:
Hazing means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, on or off campus, by one person alone or with others, directed against a student, that:

• Endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, AND
• Occurs for the purpose of pledging, initiation into, affiliation with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization whose members include students.

Plain English for Missouri City parents: If someone makes your child do something dangerous, harmful, or degrading to join or stay in a group, and they meant to do it or were reckless about the risk, that’s hazing under Texas law.

Key points affecting Missouri City cases:

• Can happen on or off campus (location doesn’t matter)
• Can be mental or physical harm
• Intent: Doesn’t have to be malicious; “reckless” is enough (knew the risk and did it anyway)
• “Consent” is not a defense: Even if your child agreed, it’s still hazing if it meets the definition

§ 37.152 Criminal Penalties:

• Class B Misdemeanor (default): Hazing that doesn’t cause serious injury (up to 180 days jail, fine up to $2,000)
• Class A Misdemeanor: If hazing causes injury that requires medical treatment
• State Jail Felony: If hazing causes serious bodily injury or death

Also criminal:

• Failing to report hazing (if you’re a member or officer and you knew about it): misdemeanor
• Retaliating against someone who reports hazing: misdemeanor

§ 37.153 Organizational Liability:
Organizations (fraternities, sororities, clubs, teams) can be criminally prosecuted for hazing if:

• The org authorized or encouraged the hazing, OR
• An officer or member acting in official capacity knew about hazing and failed to report it

Penalties for organizations relevant to Missouri City cases:

• Fine up to $10,000 per violation
• University can revoke recognition and ban the org from campus

§ 37.154 Immunity for Good-Faith Reporting:
A person who in good faith reports a hazing incident to university or law enforcement is immune from civil or criminal liability that might otherwise result from the report.

Also:

• In medical emergencies, Texas law and many university policies provide amnesty for students who call 911, even if they were drinking underage or involved in the hazing themselves

§ 37.155 Consent Not a Defense:
It is not a defense to prosecution for hazing that the person being hazed consented to the hazing activity.

Plain English: Even if your child said “yes” or “I want to do this,” it’s still a crime if it meets the hazing definition.

§ 37.156 Reporting by Educational Institutions:
Texas colleges and universities must:

• Provide hazing prevention education to students
• Publish hazing policies
• Maintain and publish annual reports of hazing violations and disciplinary actions

Criminal vs Civil Cases: Missouri City Legal Options

Criminal Cases:

• Brought by the state (Harris County, Travis County, Brazos County District Attorneys)
• Aim: punishment (jail, fines, probation)
• Typical hazing-related criminal charges:
  • Hazing offenses under Texas Education Code
  • Furnishing alcohol to minors
  • Assault, battery, or even manslaughter in fatal cases
  • Obstruction of justice if evidence destroyed

Civil Cases:

• Brought by victims or surviving families (like the Bermudez family in the UH case)
• Aim: monetary compensation and accountability
• Focus on:
  • Negligence and gross negligence
  • Wrongful death
  • Negligent hiring/supervision by nationals or universities
  • Premises liability (unsafe properties)
  • Intentional infliction of emotional distress

Both types can run side-by-side, and a criminal conviction is not required to pursue a civil case. Many Missouri City families pursue civil action even when prosecutors decline criminal charges.

Federal Overlay: Stop Campus Hazing Act, Title IX, Clery

Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024)

• Requires colleges that receive federal aid to:
  • Report hazing incidents more transparently
  • Strengthen hazing education and prevention
  • Maintain public hazing data (phased in by around 2026)
• Applies to all major Texas universities Missouri City students attend

Title IX Application

• When hazing involves sexual harassment, sexual assault, or gender-based hostility
• Universities must investigate and take prompt corrective action
• Can provide additional legal avenues beyond state hazing law

Clery Act Requirements

• Requires reporting certain crimes and maintaining safety statistics
• Hazing incidents often overlap with assault, alcohol, or drug crime categories

Who Can Be Liable in a Civil Hazing Lawsuit from Missouri City

Individual Students

• Those who planned, supplied alcohol, carried out acts, or helped cover up
• In the UH Pi Kappa Phi case: 13 individual members named as defendants

Local Chapter / Organization

• The fraternity/sorority or club itself (if it’s a legal entity)
• Chapter officers acting in official capacity
• Housing corporations that own properties where hazing occurs

National Fraternity/Sorority Headquarters

• Organizations that set policies, receive dues, and supervise chapters
• Liability hinges on what they knew or should have known from prior incidents
• In the UH case: Pi Kappa Phi national headquarters is a defendant

University or Governing Board

• The school or regents may be sued under negligence or civil-rights theories
• Key questions: prior warnings, policy enforcement, deliberate indifference
• In the UH case: University of Houston and UH System Board of Regents are defendants

Third Parties

• Landlords/owners of houses or event spaces (like the Culmore Drive residence in the UH case)
• Bars or alcohol providers (under dram shop theories)
• Security companies or event organizers

Every case is fact-specific; not every party is liable in every situation, but experienced counsel investigates all potential sources of accountability.

National Hazing Case Patterns: Lessons for Missouri City Families

The hazing your Missouri City student faces isn’t happening in a vacuum. National patterns show consistent scripts, cover-ups, and institutional failures. Understanding these patterns helps Missouri City families recognize their situation isn’t unique and that legal precedents exist to support their case