Hazing Deaths & Injuries: A Complete Guide for Estelline, Hall County Families

If Your Child Was Hazed at a Texas University, You Are Not Alone

We write this for every parent in Estelline, Lakeview, Turkey, and across Hall County who has sent a child off to a Texas university with pride and hope, only to face the nightmare of hazing. The phone call no parent wants: your child is in the hospital. They were forced to drink until they vomited, beaten as part of a “tradition,” or worked until their muscles broke down. The university says they’re “looking into it.” The fraternity brothers have closed ranks. You feel powerless, angry, and scared.

Right now, in Houston, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who nearly died after brutal hazing by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. His story—forced through hundreds of squats and push-ups, made to consume milk and hot dogs until vomiting, sprayed in the face with a hose “like waterboarding”—is not an isolated horror. It is the predictable result of a system that too often prioritizes tradition over safety, secrecy over accountability.

If you are a parent in Estelline, your child might be at Texas Tech in Lubbock, West Texas A&M in Canyon, or any of the major universities across our state. The same national fraternities and sororities, the same institutional pressures, and the same devastating outcomes can affect your family. This guide exists to give you the knowledge, the tools, and the hope you need to fight back.

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).
• In the first 48 hours:
  • Get medical attention immediately.
  • Preserve evidence: Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, texts), photograph injuries, save any physical items.
  • Write down everything your child tells you.
  • Do NOT confront the fraternity/sorority, sign anything from the university, or post on social media.
• Contact an experienced hazing attorney: Evidence disappears fast. Call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 for immediate guidance.

What Is Hazing in 2025? Beyond the Stereotypes

For families in Estelline and the Texas Panhandle, “hazing” might conjure images of outdated movies. The reality in 2025 is more sinister, more digital, and often disguised as “team building” or “tradition.” Texas law defines hazing broadly: any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of joining or maintaining membership in a group. Consent is not a defense.

Modern hazing takes many forms:

• Alcohol & Substance Hazing: The leading cause of death. This includes forced consumption during “lineups,” “Big/Little” nights, or drinking games like the “Bible study” that killed Max Gruver at LSU.
• Physical Hazing: Beatings with paddles, extreme calisthenics (“smokings”), sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme elements, or forced eating challenges that caused UH pledge Leonel Bermudez’s kidneys to fail.
• Sexualized & Humiliating Hazing: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, demeaning costumes, or acts with racist or sexist overtones.
• Psychological & Digital Hazing: 24/7 control via group chats, public shaming on social media, isolation from friends and family, and constant threats of expulsion from the group.

This happens not just in fraternities but in sororities, athletic teams, Corps of Cadets programs, spirit groups, marching bands, and other campus organizations. It happens in chapter houses, at off-campus rentals, and in remote “retreat” locations—anywhere secrecy can be maintained.

Texas Hazing Law & Liability: What Estelline Families Need to Know

The legal path to accountability for a hazing injury or death in Texas involves multiple layers of law. As parents in Hall County, understanding this framework is your first step toward justice.

Texas Education Code, Chapter 37: This is our state’s anti-hazing statute.

• Definition: Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers physical or mental health for purposes 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.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be fined up to $10,000 and lose university recognition.
• Critical Protections: Texas law explicitly states that the victim’s consent is not a defense, and it provides immunity for those who report hazing in good faith.

Civil Lawsuits for Damages: A criminal case punishes the perpetrator; a civil case compensates the victim and holds all responsible parties accountable. In a civil hazing lawsuit, you can seek damages from:

• The individuals who planned and carried out the acts.
• The local chapter as an organization.
• The national fraternity or sorority headquarters that failed to adequately supervise and train the chapter.
• The university for negligent supervision if it knew or should have known about dangerous practices.
• Third parties like property owners or alcohol providers.

Federal Overlays: The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024) now requires colleges to be more transparent about hazing incidents. If hazing involves sexual harassment, Title IX protections apply. The Clery Act mandates reporting of certain campus crimes, which can include hazing-related assaults.

For families, this means the legal fight is complex but winnable. It requires an attorney who understands how to navigate Texas criminal law, build a civil negligence case, and leverage federal statutes to obtain records and apply pressure.

National Hazing Cases: The Tragic Patterns That Repeat in Texas

The hazing that injured Leonel Bermudez at UH is not unique. It follows a national playbook written in tragedy. Understanding these cases shows how predictable—and preventable—these incidents are.

• Stone Foltz, Bowling Green State (Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): Forced to drink a bottle of alcohol; died of alcohol poisoning. $10+ million in settlements from the national fraternity and university.
• Timothy Piazza, Penn State (Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died from traumatic brain injuries after a night of forced drinking; brothers delayed calling 911. Led to Pennsylvania’s Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law.
• Max Gruver, LSU (Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died during a “Bible study” drinking game. Led to Louisiana’s felony hazing “Max Gruver Act.”
• Danny Santulli, Univ. of Missouri (Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage from forced drinking. Multi-million dollar settlements with 22 defendants.

These cases share a DNA: forced consumption, delayed medical care, a code of silence, and national organizations that had been warned countless times. The same national fraternities named in these tragedies—Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Phi—have active chapters at every major Texas university. When they tell you “this was a rogue chapter,” the national evidence proves otherwise.

The Texas Hazing Reality: Universities Attended by Estelline & Panhandle Families

Families in Estelline, with its strong ties to agriculture and ranching, often send their children to universities across the state known for engineering, agriculture, and tight-knit communities. The hazing risk exists wherever there are groups that value tradition over safety.

The Flagship Case: University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi

Our ongoing litigation reveals the blueprint of a severe Texas hazing case. In late 2025, we filed a $10 million lawsuit on behalf of Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters, its Beta Nu housing corporation, and 13 individual fraternity leaders.

The Hazing: Bermudez was subjected to months of abuse as a Pi Kappa Phi pledge: a degrading “pledge fanny pack,” overnight driving duties, forced cold-weather exposure, and extreme physical workouts. The climax was a November 3rd session where he was forced to do over 100 push-ups and 500 squats, leading to rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure. He was hospitalized for four days with brown urine and critically high creatine kinase levels, facing a risk of permanent kidney damage.

The Institutional Response: After our lawsuit was filed, detailed in Click2Houston and ABC13 reports, Pi Kappa Phi national suspended the chapter, and members voted to surrender their charter. UH called the conduct “deeply disturbing.” This case is active proof that serious litigation can force immediate accountability.

Where Estelline Families Send Their Kids: A Network of Risk

While UH is hours away, the national organizations and risks are the same at universities closer to home or popular with Texas families.

Texas Tech University (Lubbock) & West Texas A&M University (Canyon):
Many Panhandle students attend these regional hubs. Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine tracks Greek organizations in the Lubbock and Amarillo metros. For example, public IRS records show entities like the Frank Heflin Foundation (EIN 203507402) in Canyon, a Phi Delta Theta alumni fund, and the Upsilon Zeta Building Association of Chi Omega (EIN 752290669) in Amarillo. These are the types of housing corporations and alumni foundations that can hold insurance and assets behind the campus chapters.

Major Statewide Universities:
Estelline students also attend schools like Texas A&M, UT Austin, Baylor, and Texas Tech for specific programs. Each has a documented history of hazing incidents:

• Texas A&M: SAE chapter sued for causing chemical burns requiring skin grafts; Corps of Cadets sued for degrading “roasted pig” hazing.
• UT Austin: Maintains a public hazing violation log showing repeated sanctions against groups like Pi Kappa Alpha for forced consumption and calisthenics.
• Baylor: Athletic team hazing suspensions.

The connection for Estelline parents is clear: the same national fraternity that hurt a student at Texas A&M or UT is part of the same network that operates at Texas Tech or WTAMU. Their national headquarters in other states set the policies (or lack thereof) that create the risk.

The Organizations Behind the Letters: A Texas-Wide Directory

When we take a hazing case, we don’t start from zero. We maintain a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine built from public records to identify every entity that shares liability. For Estelline families, this means we already know how to find the organizations behind the fraternity that harmed your child.

A Snapshot of Texas Greek Infrastructure (From Public IRS & Cause IQ Data):

The Greek life ecosystem is a web of legal entities: undergraduate chapters, alumni chapters, house corporations, and educational foundations. Each may have insurance, assets, and liability. For example, in the broader Panhandle/Amarillo metro area, public records show organizations like:

• Frank Heflin Foundation, EIN 203507402, Canyon, TX 79015 (Phi Delta Theta alumni fund)
• Chi Omega – Upsilon Zeta Building Assn., EIN 752290669, Amarillo, TX 79118 (Chapter housing entity)
• Kappa Alpha Order – Gamma Sigma Chapter, Canyon, TX (West Texas A&M chapter, per Cause IQ data)
• Delta Kappa Gamma Society – Zeta Zeta Chapter, Canyon, TX (Educators’ society, showing the breadth of Greek-letter orgs)

Statewide, our data covers over 1,423 Greek-related organizations across 25 Texas metros. This investigative depth is why we can immediately identify potential defendants beyond the few students your child can name. We track the national brands—Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Kappa Sigma—across their Texas footprints, from their undergraduate chapters to their alumni support networks. This is the level of detail required to build a winning case against well-funded national organizations.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages

If hazing has injured your child, taking legal action is about more than compensation. It’s about accountability, prevention, and forcing institutions to change. Here is how we build these complex cases.

Critical Evidence We Preserve & Pursue:

1. Digital Communications: GroupMe, WhatsApp, and text message threads that plan hazing, brag about it, or try to cover it up. We work with digital forensics experts to recover deleted messages.
2. Photos & Videos: Often taken by members themselves and shared in private chats or on social media.
3. Medical Records: Documenting the immediate injury (e.g., high creatine kinase for rhabdo, blood alcohol level) and ongoing treatment for PTSD, depression, or physical disability.
4. Internal Fraternity/University Records: Obtained through discovery, these can show prior warnings, inadequate policies, and a history of ignored red flags.
5. Witness Testimony: From other pledges, former members, roommates, and bystanders.

Our Legal Strategy:
We sue everyone who bears responsibility, creating maximum leverage for a fair settlement that acknowledges the full harm. We target:

• The Individuals who acted.
• The Local Chapter that allowed it.
• The National Headquarters whose negligent supervision made it foreseeable.
• The University if it failed in its duty to protect students.

Our advantage is inside knowledge. Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense attorney for a national firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers will try to deny claims, lowball settlements, and drag out cases. We use that knowledge to anticipate and counter their every move.

Damages: What Can Be Recovered
In a civil lawsuit, families can seek compensation for:

• All medical expenses (past and future).
• Lost wages and diminished future earning capacity.
• Physical pain and suffering.
• Severe emotional distress, PTSD, and psychological trauma.
• In cases of death: funeral costs, loss of companionship, and the family’s emotional suffering.

Practical Guide for Estelline Parents & Students

For Parents: Warning Signs & First Steps

Watch for: Unexplained injuries, extreme fatigue, sudden secrecy, personality changes, withdrawal from family, constant anxiety about phone alerts, dropping grades, or requests for money for unexplained “fines.”
If you suspect hazing: Talk to your child calmly. Listen first. If they are hurt, get medical care immediately. Then, preserve evidence. Screenshot texts, photograph injuries. Do not confront the fraternity. Call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 before reporting to the university, so we can help you navigate the process strategically.

For Students: Your Rights & Safety

If you are being hazed, know that Texas law protects you. Your “consent” under pressure is not a legal defense for them. Your priority is safety. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. You can report hazing anonymously to the National Anti-Hazing Hotline at 1-888-NOT-HAZE. You have the right to quit the organization at any time. If you are afraid, tell a trusted adult, an RA, or the Dean of Students.

Critical Mistakes That Can Ruin a Case

We’ve detailed the common errors families make in our video on Client Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Injury Case. In short:

1. Deleting evidence (texts, photos) out of shame or fear.
2. Confronting the fraternity before consulting a lawyer, which triggers their cover-up.
3. Signing university “resolution” agreements that waive your right to sue.
4. Posting about the incident on social media, giving defense attorneys free ammunition.
5. Waiting too long. Texas has a statute of limitations; evidence and memories fade. Watch our video on Texas statutes of limitations to understand the urgency.

Why Attorney911 for Your Estelline Family’s Hazing Case

When your family is in crisis, you need more than a lawyer; you need advocates who understand the institutions you’re up against and have the proven skill to win. The Manginello Law Firm (Attorney911) is a Texas-based complex litigation firm built for this exact fight.

Our Hazing Litigation Credentials:

• We Are Fighting a Major Texas Hazing Case Right Now: We lead the litigation for Leonel Bermudez against UH and Pi Kappa Phi. We are in the trenches, uncovering evidence, taking depositions, and holding powerful institutions accountable. This isn’t theoretical—it’s our daily work.
• Insider Knowledge of Insurance Defense Tactics: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, is a former insurance defense lawyer for a national firm. He spent years on the other side, learning how insurers for fraternities and universities value claims, deny coverage, and drag out cases. We use this insider playbook against them.
• Experience Against Billion-Dollar Defendants: Managing Partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by the deep pockets or fancy lawyers of national fraternities or university systems. We’ve faced giants before.
• Data-Driven Investigation: We don’t just take your word for it. We deploy our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—mapping the network of Greek organizations using public records—to identify all potentially liable parties and their insurance coverage from day one.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish. We are committed to serving all Texas families with compassion and understanding.

We handle cases on a contingency fee basis: you pay nothing unless we win. We invest our resources and expertise upfront because we believe in your case.

Call to Action for Estelline & Hall County Families

If hazing has hurt your child at Texas Tech, West Texas A&M, the University of Houston, Texas A&M, or any Texas campus, you do not have to navigate this alone. The universities and national organizations have teams of lawyers. You deserve a team that fights just as hard for you.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm for a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation. We will listen to your story, review any evidence you have, and explain your legal options clearly and honestly. We serve families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont.

Call the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ today: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). You can also visit our website at https://attorney911.com or email ralph@atty911.com.

Se habla Español. Contacte a Lupe Peña a lupe@atty911.com.

Take the first step toward justice, accountability, and preventing this from happening to another family from Estelline.

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is unique, and no outcome can be guaranteed. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, please contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC for a consultation.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources:

• Attorney911 Main Website & Contact: https://attorney911.com
• Click2Houston coverage of UH Pi Kappa Phi case: 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 coverage of UH Pi Kappa Phi case: https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/
• Video: Client Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IYsoxOSxY
• Video: Texas Statutes of Limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
• Video: How Contingency Fees Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc