Holding Universities & Fraternities Accountable: A Comprehensive Guide for Post, Texas Families

If you’re a parent here in Post, Texas, and you’ve sent your child off to college, the last thing you should have to worry about is their safety as they try to join a campus organization. You trust the university to protect them. The reality is that hazing—a cycle of abuse masked as tradition—persists on campuses across Texas and the nation, often with catastrophic consequences. Right now, less than 400 miles away in Houston, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing lawsuits in the country on behalf of a student named Leonel Bermudez. His story is a stark warning and a call to action for every Texas family.

At Attorney911, we represent hazing victims and their families across Texas, from our home in Houston to communities like Post in Garza County. We understand the unique dynamics of Texas universities and the powerful institutions that often fail to protect students. This guide is written specifically for you—parents, students, and community members in Post—to understand the true scope of hazing, your legal rights under Texas law, and the path to accountability when trust is broken.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR HAZING EMERGENCIES

If you believe your child is in danger or has been injured due to hazing, time is critical. Evidence disappears quickly.

• Call 911 for any medical emergency.
• Contact Attorney911 Immediately: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide legal emergency assistance 24/7.
• Preserve Evidence NOW: Before anything is deleted, help your child screenshot group chats (GroupMe, texts), photograph any injuries, and save any physical items involved. Do not confront the organization.

The Leonel Bermudez Case: A Texas Wake-Up Call

Right now, we are actively litigating a $10 million hazing and abuse lawsuit against the University of Houston (UH), the Pi Kappa Phi national fraternity headquarters, its Beta Nu chapter housing corporation, and 13 individual fraternity leaders. This case, filed in Harris County in late 2025, is not a historical footnote—it is a current, unfolding tragedy that exemplifies the extreme dangers modern hazing poses.

Our client, Leonel Bermudez, a transfer student seeking community, accepted a bid to join the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter at UH in September 2025. What followed was a campaign of humiliation, forced labor, sleep deprivation, and brutal physical abuse that nearly killed him.

• Humiliation & Control: He was forced to carry a “pledge fanny pack” 24/7 containing condoms, a sex toy, and nicotine devices. He endured enforced dress codes, hours-long “study blocks,” and overnight chauffeuring duties.
• Physical Torture: Hazing occurred at the UH chapter house, a Culmore Drive residence, and Yellowstone Boulevard Park. Acts included extreme workouts, being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, and being forced to lie in vomit-soaked grass. On November 3, he was ordered to complete over 100 push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion.
• Medical Catastrophe: This abuse led to rhabdomyolysis—a severe skeletal muscle breakdown—and acute kidney failure. His urine turned brown, he could not stand without help, and he was hospitalized for four days with critically high creatine kinase levels. He faces an ongoing risk of permanent kidney damage.
• Institutional Response: After media exposure, Pi Kappa Phi national headquarters suspended the chapter on November 6. On November 14, members voted to surrender their charter, effectively shutting down the Beta Nu chapter. The University of Houston called the conduct “deeply disturbing” and promised cooperation with law enforcement.

This case, covered extensively by Click2Houston and ABC13, is proof that the most severe forms of hazing are happening right now at major Texas universities. For families in Post, whose children may attend UH, Texas Tech, or other campuses, it underscores a vital truth: no institution or national organization is immune from this crisis, and holding them accountable requires immediate, experienced legal action.

Hazing in 2025: Beyond the Stereotypes

Hazing is not “boys being boys” or “harmless tradition.” It is a calculated abuse of power designed to create loyalty through fear and suffering. For Texas families, understanding its modern forms is the first step in recognizing danger.

Modern Hazing Tactics Include:

• Digital Control & Coercion: 24/7 monitoring via GroupMe or WhatsApp, demands for instant response, forced location sharing, and social media policing.
• “Optional” But Mandatory Activities: Events framed as voluntary but linked to social exclusion or denial of membership benefits.
• Disguised Abuse: Extreme physical exhaustion passed off as “workout challenges” or “team building.”
• Off-Campus/Retreat Hazing: Moving dangerous activities to Airbnbs, rural properties, or private homes to avoid campus oversight.
• Psychological Warfare: Sleep deprivation, food restriction, isolation from family and non-member friends, and systematic verbal degradation.

The core dynamic remains: older members leveraging a new member’s desire to belong to force them into acts that endanger their physical or mental health. Consent given under this pressure is meaningless in the eyes of Texas law.

Texas Hazing Law: Your Legal Backbone

Texas has some of the nation’s clearest anti-hazing statutes, designed to protect students from precisely this kind of coercion. The Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F, is your family’s legal shield.

Key Provisions for Post Families:

• Broad Definition: Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the physical or mental health of a student for the purpose of initiation, affiliation, or membership in any organization.
• Location is Irrelevant: The law applies on and off campus. Hazing at a house in Lubbock or a retreat in Garza County is still illegal.
• Consent is NOT a Defense: Texas law (Sec. 37.155) explicitly states that a victim’s “agreement” to participate is not a legal defense. This shuts down the most common excuse used by fraternities and defendants.
• Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. If it causes serious bodily injury or death, it becomes a state jail felony. Individuals can also be charged for failing to report hazing.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be fined up to $10,000 and lose its university recognition.
• Good-Faith Reporting Protection: Those who report hazing or call for emergency medical help in good faith are granted immunity from certain liabilities, encouraging life-saving action.

This legal framework provides the foundation for both criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits seeking compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages.

Where Post Families Send Their Kids: The Texas University Landscape

Families in Post and across Garza County often have strong ties to the universities of the South Plains and beyond. Your children may attend schools close to home or across the state. Understanding the Greek ecosystems at these universities is critical.

Local & Regional Campuses:

• Texas Tech University (Lubbock): As the major university in the Lubbock metro area, Texas Tech is a common destination for high-achieving students from Post. Its Greek life is extensive, with dozens of fraternities and sororities operating under the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Panhellenic Council, and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).
• South Plains College (Levelland): While primarily a community college, student organizations and clubs exist where hazing could theoretically occur.
• Other West Texas Schools: Students may also attend West Texas A&M (Canyon), Angelo State (San Angelo), or the University of Texas Permian Basin (Odessa).

Major Statewide Hubs:
Post families also send children to Texas’s flagship institutions, where Greek life is deeply entrenched:

• University of Texas at Austin
• Texas A&M University (College Station)
• University of Houston
• Baylor University (Waco)
• Southern Methodist University (Dallas)

The same national fraternities and sororities that operate at Texas Tech have chapters at these larger schools. A dangerous pattern at a UT chapter is a red flag for every chapter of that organization, including the one your child might be rushing in Lubbock.

The Texas Greek Ecosystem: A Web of Organizations

When hazing occurs, liability doesn’t stop with the students in the room. A complex network of legally distinct organizations often shares responsibility. At Attorney911, we use our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—a proprietary database built from public records—to map this network and identify every potentially liable entity. This is a level of investigative depth most firms cannot match.

Public Records Insight: Fraternities, Sororities & Greek Organizations Serving Texas Families

We maintain detailed records on the organizational backbone of Texas Greek life. For families in the Lubbock metro area, which includes Post, this network is substantial. For example, public IRS and corporate filings show numerous registered entities. Here is a snapshot of the kind of organizational data we track:

In the Lubbock Metro & Surrounding Area:

• Epsilon Nu Housing Corporation, EIN 237359384, in Lubbock, TX 79401
• Alpha Omega Epsilon-Beta Alpha Chapter, EIN 473967233, in Lubbock, TX 79416
• TKE OP Housing, EIN 475033161, in Lubbock, TX 79423
• Farm House Fraternity Inc. (Texas Tech Chapter), EIN 751565336, in Lubbock, TX 79416
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (Texas Tech Univ. Health Sciences), EIN 820644459, in Lubbock, TX 79430
• Gamma Phi House Corporation of Kappa Alpha Theta, EIN 751283953, in Lubbock, TX 79423

Statewide Entities Connected to Major Universities:

• Kappa Sigma – Mu Camma Chapter Inc., EIN 133048786, in College Station, TX 77845 (Texas A&M)
• Pi Kappa Phi Delta Omega Chapter Building Corporation, EIN 371768785, in Missouri City, TX 77459
• Building Corporation of Delta Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, EIN 746047117, in Austin, TX 78705 (UT Austin)
• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc., EIN 462267515, in Frisco, TX 75035 (Connected to the UH case)

This data, drawn from IRS B83 filings and corporate registrations, reveals the housing corporations, alumni chapters, and educational foundations that hold assets, purchase insurance, and can be held civilly liable. In a hazing lawsuit, we don’t start from scratch—we already know how to find the organizations behind the letters.

National Patterns, Local Harm: Why History Matters

The fraternity that hazed Leonel Bermudez at UH—Pi Kappa Phi—has a national history. Its chapter at Florida State University was shuttered after the alcohol-poisoning death of pledge Andrew Coffey in 2017. This is not a coincidence; it is a pattern. When we take a case, we investigate the national history of the organization involved.

This pattern evidence is crucial because it establishes “foreseeability.” It shows that the national headquarters and the university knew or should have known that certain rituals (like Big/Little drinking events or extreme physical “workouts”) presented a grave danger because they had caused death and injury elsewhere.

Other national organizations with documented, severe hazing histories that have chapters across Texas campuses include:

• Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike): Responsible for the death of Stone Foltz at Bowling Green State University ($10M+ settlement).
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): Faced a lawsuit at Texas A&M where pledges suffered chemical burns from industrial cleaner.
• Phi Delta Theta: Responsible for the death of Max Gruver at LSU, leading to Louisiana’s “Max Gruver Act.”
• Beta Theta Pi: Responsible for the death of Timothy Piazza at Penn State.

For a parent in Post, this means that if your child is rushing an organization with a known national pattern of hazing, the risk is quantifiable and the institution’s failure to prevent it may be legally actionable.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Recovery

Pursuing accountability after a hazing incident is a complex legal battle against well-funded, experienced opponents. Universities and national fraternities have deep-pocketed insurers and legal teams whose first goal is often to minimize exposure. Our approach at Attorney911 is built on a foundation of insider knowledge and relentless investigation.

Critical Evidence Preservation:
The digital trail is often the most compelling evidence. We guide families to immediately preserve:

• Group Chats: Screenshots of entire conversations on GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage, or Discord.
• Social Media: Posts, stories, snaps, or DMs that reference activities, injuries, or events.
• Photos/Videos: Media from the events themselves, plus dated photos of injuries.
• Medical Records: Complete documentation from ER visits, hospital stays, and follow-up care that links injuries to the hazing.
  We have a dedicated video on using your phone to document legal evidence that is an essential resource for families.

Our Strategic Advantages:

1. Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense attorney for national firms. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers evaluate claims, fight coverage, and employ delay tactics. We know their playbook because we used to run it.
2. Complex Institutional Litigation: Founder Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by billion-dollar corporations or powerful universities. We know how to manage massive discovery, hire the right experts, and build a case for trial.
3. Full Damages Analysis: We work with economists, life-care planners, and medical experts to fully value the impact of an injury—whether it’s a lifetime of care for a brain injury, lost earning potential, or the profound emotional trauma of PTSD.

A Practical Guide for Post Parents & Students

If You Suspect Hazing:

• Talk to Your Child: Ask open-ended questions. “What does a typical week look like for your new member process?” “Are there activities that make you uncomfortable?” “Do you feel pressured to keep secrets?”
• Look for Red Flags: Unexplained injuries, drastic weight change, extreme fatigue, withdrawal from family calls, anxiety around their phone, needing money for unexplained “fines” or purchases.
• Trust Your Instincts: If something feels wrong, it probably is.

If Hazing Has Occurred:

1. Prioritize Health & Safety: Seek medical attention immediately. A medical record created contemporaneously is powerful evidence.
2. Preserve Evidence: Before anything is deleted, secure digital evidence. Follow our evidence preservation guide.
3. Document Everything: Write down a timeline with names, dates, locations, and what happened while memories are fresh.
4. Consult an Attorney BEFORE Reporting: Once you report to a university, their internal process begins, which is often designed to protect the institution. Having legal counsel ensures your family’s rights are protected from the start. Contact us at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a confidential consultation.
5. Avoid Critical Mistakes: Do NOT let your child delete messages, confront the chapter directly, sign anything from the university or its insurer, or post about the incident on social media. We detail these client mistakes in a dedicated video.

Why Attorney911 for Texas Hazing Cases

We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, operating as Attorney911—the Legal Emergency Lawyers™. While our physical offices are in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, we serve hazing victims and their families across Texas, including in Post and throughout Garza County. Our connection to the South Plains is more than geographic; it’s a commitment to protecting Texas students wherever they pursue their education.

We are not just personal injury lawyers; we are hazing litigation specialists. The Bermudez case is not an example we read about—it is our current, active file. We are in the trenches right now, fighting a national fraternity and a major state university system. We bring this frontline experience, coupled with our unique data intelligence and insider insurance knowledge, to every case we take.

We operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case. We offer Spanish-language legal services through Mr. Peña. We understand the fear, confusion, and anger that accompanies a hazing incident, and we are committed to guiding your family through this crisis with compassion and unwavering determination.

You don’t have to face this alone. If hazing has impacted your family, the path to justice and preventing future harm begins with a conversation.

Contact Attorney911 Today for a Free, Confidential Consultation

Call Our Legal Emergency Line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct Line: (713) 528-9070
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. Contacting Attorney911 does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Every case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. We encourage you to seek legal counsel for advice on your individual situation.