A Comprehensive Guide for Scottsville Families: Understanding Hazing, Texas Law, and Your Rights

If you’re a parent in Scottsville, Texas, your worst fear might be a late-night phone call from your child away at college. The recent, devastating news from the University of Houston brings this fear into sharp focus. A young man, Leonel Bermudez, nearly lost his life after being subjected to brutal hazing by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. His urine turned brown from severe muscle breakdown, he suffered acute kidney failure, and he spent four days in the hospital fighting for his health. This isn’t a story from a faraway place; it’s a current, multi-million dollar lawsuit unfolding right now in Harris County, involving a major Texas university and a national fraternity.

For families in Scottsville and across Harrison County, this case is a critical wake-up call. The universities our children attend—whether it’s nearby East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, or major hubs like Texas A&M, UT Austin, or the University of Houston—are home to complex Greek ecosystems where dangerous traditions can hide in plain sight. This guide is for you. We’ll explain what modern hazing really looks like, break down Texas law, examine the national patterns that put our children at risk, and provide a clear path forward for families seeking accountability and justice.

If This Just Happened: Immediate Steps for Scottsville Families

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for medical emergencies.
• Then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.

In the first 48 hours:

1. Get Medical Attention: Even if your child insists they are “fine,” emergency care is critical. Conditions like rhabdomyolysis (seen in the UH case) can be fatal if untreated.
2. Preserve Evidence BEFORE It’s Deleted: Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, texts), photograph injuries from multiple angles, and save any physical items (clothing, paddles, receipts).
3. Write It Down: Document everything your child tells you—names, dates, locations, and specific acts—while their memory is fresh.
4. DO NOT:
   • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team directly.
   • Sign anything from the university or an insurance company.
   • Post details on public social media.
   • Allow your child to delete messages or “clean up” their phone.

Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours. Evidence disappears rapidly, and institutions move quickly to control the narrative. We can help you navigate this crisis and protect your child’s rights.

Hazing in 2025: What Scottsville Parents Need to Recognize

Hazing is no longer just about silly pranks or harmless initiation. It is a calculated pattern of abuse designed to assert power and create loyalty through fear and degradation. For parents in tight-knit communities like Scottsville, the signs can be subtle but devastating.

Modern hazing often involves:

• Digital Control & Humiliation: 24/7 group chat monitoring, forced location sharing, social media policing, and coerced posting of embarrassing content.
• Coerced Consumption: Forced drinking games (“lines,” “family tree”), consumption of unpalatable foods (hot dogs, milk, peppercorns until vomiting), or unknown substances.
• “Wellness” Disguises: Extreme physical workouts framed as “conditioning” or “team building” that cross into dangerous abuse, like the 100+ push-ups and 500 squats mandated in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case.
• Psychological Torture: Sleep deprivation, isolation from family and non-Greek friends, constant verbal abuse, and threats of expulsion from the group.
• Violent Rituals: Paddling, beatings, forced exposure to extreme cold, and simulated torture like the hose-spraying “similar to waterboarding” alleged in the UH lawsuit.

The location has shifted, too. To avoid campus security cameras, hazing now frequently occurs at off-campus houses, remote Airbnbs, or local parks—like the Yellowstone Boulevard Park workouts described in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case.

Texas Hazing Law & Liability: A Framework for Harrison County Families

Texas takes hazing seriously under Education Code Chapter 37. For a Scottsville family, understanding this law is the first step toward accountability.

Key Provisions of Texas Hazing Law:

• Definition: Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation or affiliation with a group. This applies on or off campus.
• Criminal Penalties: Ranges from a Class B Misdemeanor to a State Jail Felony if the hazing causes serious bodily injury or death.
• Consent is NOT a Defense: Texas law (§37.155) explicitly states that a victim’s “agreement” to participate is irrelevant. Courts recognize the power imbalance and coercion inherent in these situations.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or team itself can be fined up to $10,000 and lose university recognition.
• Good-Faith Reporting: Individuals who report hazing in good faith or seek medical help in an emergency are granted immunity from certain penalties.

Civil vs. Criminal Cases:

• Criminal Cases: Brought by the state (e.g., Harrison County District Attorney) to punish offenders with jail time, fines, or probation.
• Civil Cases: Brought by the victim and their family to seek financial compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages. These cases can target individuals, the local chapter, the national fraternity/sorority headquarters, the university, and housing corporations.

A civil lawsuit, like the $10 million case against UH and Pi Kappa Phi, is often the only path to full accountability and compensation for lifelong injuries. It also forces institutions to produce internal records that expose what they knew and when they knew it.

National Hazing Cases: The Patterns That Put Texas Students at Risk

The tragedy at UH is not an isolated event. It’s part of a national pattern that repeats because institutions fail to learn. Understanding these patterns is crucial for building a strong case.

The Alcohol Poisoning Pattern:

• Stone Foltz (Bowling Green State, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): Pledge died after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol. Result: $10 million in settlements.
• Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died from alcohol toxicity after a “Bible study” drinking game. Result: Louisiana’s Max Gruver Act making hazing a felony.
• Andrew Coffey (Florida State, Pi Kappa Phi, 2017): Died after a “Big Brother” night involving a handle of liquor. His national organization is the same one now sued in the UH case.

The Physical & Ritualized Abuse Pattern:

• Chun “Michael” Deng (Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi, 2013): Died from traumatic brain injury during a blindfolded “glass ceiling” ritual at a retreat. The national fraternity was criminally convicted.
• Danny Santulli (Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Suffered permanent brain damage from forced drinking. His family secured multi-million dollar settlements from 22 defendants.

These national patterns create “foreseeability.” When a Texas chapter repeats the same dangerous conduct that has killed students elsewhere, it strengthens the argument that the national headquarters and university failed in their duty to prevent it.

The Texas University Landscape: Where Scottsville Families Send Their Kids

Scottsville families are deeply connected to Texas higher education. Students from Harrison County commute to or reside at campuses across the state. Each has its own Greek ecosystem and history of hazing incidents.

East Texas Baptist University & Wiley University (Marshall, TX)

Just minutes from Scottsville, these campuses have their own Greek life. While smaller, the risks of power imbalance and abuse in close-knit organizations are very real. Incidents here would fall under the jurisdiction of the Harrison County legal system, familiar to any Scottsville resident.

Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX)

A major regional destination, SFA has an active Greek community. Parents should know that hazing investigations here would involve Nacogdoches County authorities and potentially impact students from across East Texas.

The Major Statewide Hubs

Most Scottsville students aiming for large Greek systems attend one of Texas’s flagship universities. Our firm maintains detailed intelligence on the Greek organizations at these schools, which is vital for litigation.

University of Houston: The site of the active Leonel Bermudez v. UH & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit. This case alleges a catalog of horrors: a degrading “pledge fanny pack,” forced overeating leading to vomiting, hose-spraying “like waterboarding,” and extreme workouts causing rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure. The chapter is now shut down. This case is a primary example of our firm’s active, high-stakes hazing litigation.

Texas A&M University: Home to a massive Greek system and the Corps of Cadets, which has faced its own serious hazing allegations. We have investigated cases involving chemical burns from industrial cleaner in SAE pledges and disturbing Corps rituals involving binding and humiliation. These cases often involve complex layers of tradition and institutional loyalty.

University of Texas at Austin: UT publishes a notable online list of hazing violations, offering a public window into recurring issues with groups like Pi Kappa Alpha (sanctioned for forced milk consumption and calisthenics) and various spirit organizations.

Southern Methodist University & Baylor University: These private institutions have significant Greek life and have faced hazing scandals, from paddling incidents to team hazing suspensions. Their private status affects transparency but not liability.

The Organizations Behind the Letters: A Data-Driven Approach

When hazing occurs, liability doesn’t stop with the students in the room. A web of organizations holds insurance and responsibility. Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—built from public records—allows us to map this web for families. For example, our data identifies:

• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc (EIN 46-2267515) in Frisco, TX.
• Pi Kappa Phi Delta Omega Chapter Building Corporation (EIN 37-1768785) in Missouri City, TX.
• Texas District of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity alumni/house corporation in Houston.
• Over 1,400 Greek-related organizations across 25 Texas metros, each a potential source of evidence or liability.

This investigative depth means we don’t start from scratch. We know how to find the housing corporations, alumni associations, and national headquarters that may share responsibility for your child’s injuries.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages

Building a winning hazing case requires immediate, strategic action. The defense playbook is predictable: blame the victim, claim it was “optional,” argue the national organization didn’t know, or try to exclude insurance coverage. We know this playbook intimately.

Critical Evidence We Secure:

• Digital Forensics: Recovering deleted GroupMe, WhatsApp, and text messages that show planning, coercion, and cover-ups.
• National Fraternity Records: Through discovery, we obtain prior incident reports, risk management files, and communications that show a pattern of known dangers.
• University Files: Internal disciplinary records, Clery Act reports, and emails that reveal what officials knew before the incident.
• Medical Documentation: ER reports, lab tests (like elevated creatine kinase confirming rhabdomyolysis), and psychological evaluations diagnosing PTSD.

Types of Damages in a Hazing Case:

• Economic: All medical bills (emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, lifelong therapy), lost future earning capacity, and educational costs.
• Non-Economic: Compensation for physical pain, emotional trauma, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages (for families): Funeral costs, loss of financial support, and the profound grief and loss of companionship.

Practical Guidance for Scottsville Parents & Students

For Parents: Warning Signs

• Unexplained injuries, burnout, or drastic weight changes.
• Secretive behavior about organization activities.
• Constant, anxious phone use related to group chats.
• Personality shifts: new anxiety, depression, or withdrawal.
• Sudden academic decline or loss of scholarships.

For Students: Your Rights

• You can leave at any time. You do not owe them an explanation.
• Consent is not a defense in Texas. You are the victim.
• You have the right to report safely. Use anonymous hotlines (1-888-NOT-HAZE) or contact the Dean of Students.
• Texas law protects good-faith reporters who seek medical help in emergencies.

Critical Mistakes That Can Harm Your Case:

1. Deleting digital evidence. Preserve all messages and photos.
2. Confronting the organization directly. This triggers evidence destruction.
3. Signing university “resolution” forms without an attorney.
4. Posting about the incident on social media.
5. Waiting too long. The Texas statute of limitations is generally two years, but evidence vanishes much faster.

Why Choose Attorney911? Texas-Based Hazing Litigation Specialists

When your family in Scottsville faces a hazing crisis, you need advocates who understand both the human cost and the complex legal battlefield. The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) brings a unique combination of expertise to hazing cases.

Our Proven Advantages:

• Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him), spent years as a defense attorney for national insurance companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers fight claims, minimize payouts, and use delay tactics. We know their playbook because we used to run it.
• Complex Institutional Litigation Experience: Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few Texas lawyers involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by billion-dollar corporations, national fraternities, or university legal teams. We’ve fought them before.
• Active, High-Stakes Case Leadership: We are currently leading the Leonel Bermudez v. UH & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit—a $10 million case that is making statewide news. This isn’t theoretical expertise; it’s active, frontline litigation.
• Data-Driven Investigation: Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine gives us an unmatched starting point to identify all liable entities, from local housing corps to national headquarters.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña is fluent in Spanish, ensuring we can serve all Texas families with compassion and clear communication.
• Contingency Fee Basis: We invest in your case. You pay no upfront fees; we only get paid if we recover money for you.

A Final Message to Scottsville and Harrison County

Hazing thrives in silence and shame. It counts on families feeling isolated and institutions closing ranks. The courageous stand taken by Leonel Bermudez and his family in Houston shows that silence can be broken and accountability is possible.

If hazing has touched your family—whether your child is at a local university or a campus hours from Scottsville—you do not have to navigate this alone. The same organizations, the same insurance tactics, and the same institutional playbooks are at work across Texas. We have the experience, the data, and the determination to fight for you.

Contact us for a free, confidential consultation. We will listen to your story, explain your legal options in plain English, and help you make the best decision for your family’s future and healing.

Call Attorney911 Today: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com | Se Habla Español: lupe@atty911.com

We serve families throughout Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of the 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/
https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/

Attorney911 Educational Videos:
Using your phone to document evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
Texas statutes of limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
Client mistakes to avoid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IYsoxOSxY
How contingency fees work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc

Our Main Website:
https://attorney911.com

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 particular situation.