The Ultimate Texas Hazing Guide for Joshua Families: Your Path to Accountability

For a parent in Joshua, Texas, the call no one wants to answer is the one that starts with a tearful voice asking for help. Maybe your son at the University of Houston is describing abdominal pain so severe he can’t stand up. Perhaps your daughter at Texas A&M is home for the weekend, sleeping fifteen hours a day and flinching at loud noises. The clues don’t always add up right away—unexplained bruises, depleted bank accounts from “mandatory” purchases, cryptic texts about “not being able to talk about it.” The fear sets in: is my child being hazed?

Right now, in Houston, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who was hazed by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. According to a detailed ABC13 Eyewitness News report, Bermudez was forced through brutal rituals including being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” consuming milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until he vomited, and enduring a workout of over 100 push-ups and 500 squats. The result was catastrophic: he developed rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure, passing brown urine and requiring a four-day hospitalization. His Click2Houston coverage starkly quoted our attorney: “His urine was brown.” The chapter has since been shut down.

This isn’t an isolated incident in a faraway state. This is happening here, to Texas students from families like yours in Joshua, Burleson, Cleburne, and across Johnson County. Whether your child attends a local college or a major university hours away, the threat is real, and the institutional responses are often inadequate. This guide is for you. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, the Texas laws designed to protect your child, the patterns of abuse at our state’s biggest schools, and, most importantly, the path to holding every responsible party accountable.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR JOHNSON COUNTY FAMILIES:

• If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW: Call 911, then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911.
• In the first 48 hours:
  • Seek medical attention immediately.
  • PRESERVE EVIDENCE: Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, texts), photograph injuries, save any physical items. Do not let your child delete anything.
  • Write down everything they tell you—names, dates, locations.
  • Contact our firm. Evidence disappears fast. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation.

What Hazing Really Looks Like in 2025 (Beyond the Stereotypes)

Hazing is no longer just about paddling in a dusty basement. It’s a calculated, often digitally enforced, spectrum of abuse designed to create power through humiliation and fear. For Joshua parents, understanding this evolution is key to recognizing the signs.

The Three Tiers of Modern Hazing:

1. Subtle Hazing: This establishes control and often flies under the radar. It includes mandatory “on-call” status via group chats, forced chauffeuring at all hours, required servitude for older members (cleaning, errands), social isolation from non-members, and degrading nicknames. It’s the groundwork for worse abuse.
2. Harassment Hazing: This causes clear emotional or physical discomfort. Think sleep deprivation from 3 AM wake-up calls, forced consumption of unpalatable food (like the hot dogs and peppercorns in the UH case), verbal abuse and “grilling” sessions, and calisthenics as punishment (“smokings”).
3. Violent Hazing: This has a high potential for severe injury or death. This tier includes forced alcohol consumption (the leading cause of hazing deaths), physical beatings or paddling, dangerous physical “tests,” sexualized acts, kidnapping/restraint, and exposure to extreme elements.

The tactics have also evolved. Hazing now happens in Airbnb rentals far from campus to avoid detection. It’s documented and encouraged through GroupMe chats and Snapchat stories. It’s disguised as “wellness challenges” or “team building.” The core truth remains: if an activity is coercive, dangerous, degrading, or secretive as a condition of membership, it is hazing. “Consent” under this pressure is meaningless in the eyes of Texas law.

Texas Hazing Law & Liability: A Framework for Joshua Families

When your child is hurt in Cleburne, at Texas A&M, or at UH, Texas law provides the framework for accountability. Understanding it empowers you.

The Texas Education Code (Chapter 37) is clear. Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers a student’s mental or physical health for the purpose of joining or maintaining membership in a group. Importantly, consent is not a defense (§37.155). The “they agreed to it” argument fails in court.

• Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor, rising to a state jail felony if it causes serious bodily injury or death—exactly what happened to Leonel Bermudez at UH. Individuals can also be charged for failing to report hazing.
• Civil Liability: This is where families seek justice and recovery. A civil lawsuit can target:
  • The individuals who planned and carried out the acts.
  • The local chapter as an organization.
  • The national fraternity/sorority headquarters that often knew or should have known about the risks.
  • The university for negligent supervision or deliberate indifference.
• Federal Overlay: The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024) now requires universities to report incidents more transparently. If hazing involves sexual harassment, Title IX obligations are triggered. These federal levers add significant pressure on institutions.

For a family in Joshua, this means a case might involve Johnson County courts, the school’s county courts (like Harris County for UH), and potentially federal court. The strategy is to identify every entity with liability and insurance coverage.

The Texas Universities Joshua Families Trust: A Reality Check

Johnson County students often attend schools close to home or venture to our state’s flagship institutions. Wherever they are, you deserve to know the landscape. Our firm maintains a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—a database of over 1,423 Greek organizations across 25 Texas metros—to track the entities behind these groups. Below is a snapshot of the public records we use to build cases.

Public Records Directory: Fraternities, Sororities & Greek Entities Connected to Texas Campuses

This is a small sample from our investigative database, showing the formal, registered organizations behind Greek life. When we take a case, we use this data to identify every potentially liable entity, from local house corporations to national alumni chapters.

Organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metro (Relevant to Joshua Families):

• Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity, EIN: 742911848, Fort Worth, TX 76244 (Cause IQ Metro Listing)
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc., EIN: 741380362, Fort Worth, TX 76147 (IRS B83 Filing)
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity – Lambda Lambda Chapter, EIN: 521278573, Dallas, TX 75241 (IRS B83 Filing)
• Fort Worth Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, EIN: 752755600, Fort Worth, TX 76101 (IRS B83 Filing)

Statewide & Major University Hub Organizations:

• Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity – Epsilon Kappa Chapter, EIN: 746064445, Nederland, TX 77627 (Linked to Lamar University, IRS B83)
• Pi Kappa Phi Delta Omega Chapter Building Corporation, EIN: 371768785, Missouri City, TX 77459 (IRS B83 Filing)
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi – Texas A&M University Chapter, EIN: 900293166, College Station, TX 77843 (IRS B83 Filing)
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, EIN: 364091267, Waco, TX 76710 (IRS B83 & Cause IQ Overlap)

University of Houston: A Case Study in Crisis

The Bermudez case is not UH’s first hazing incident. The environment exists where such abuse can fester. UH has multiple Greek councils (IFC, Panhellenic, NPHC, Multicultural) with dozens of chapters, including Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Kappa Sigma.

• For Joshua Parents: A student commuting from Johnson County or living on campus is in a large, urban Greek system with a documented severe incident. The legal aftermath involves Houston police (HPD), Harris County courts, and intense media scrutiny, as seen in the Hoodline coverage of the $10 million lawsuit.
• Actionable Insight: Evidence in such cases is often digital—GroupMe chats planning events, Snapchats from “big/little” nights, Venmo receipts for alcohol. Preservation is critical. We advise families on how to secure this evidence before it’s deleted.

Texas A&M University & The Corps of Cadets

For many in Joshua, Aggie tradition is a point of pride. Yet, that tradition has a dark side. Beyond Greek life, the Corps of Cadets has faced serious allegations.

• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) Lawsuit: In a recent case, pledges alleged being doused with substances including industrial-strength cleaner, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts. The chapter was suspended.
• Corps of Cadets Lawsuit: A cadet alleged horrific hazing including being bound in a “roasted pig” position with an apple in his mouth. The lawsuit sought over $1 million.
• For Joshua Parents: The culture of “earning your place” can be exploited. Injuries here are often severe—burns, physical trauma, psychological damage. The university’s dual role as proud tradition-keeper and responsible administrator creates complex legal fights.

University of Texas at Austin

UT Austin offers rare transparency through its public online hazing violations log. This log is a treasure trove for showing a pattern of knowledge.

• Documented Violations: The log shows sanctions against groups like Pi Kappa Alpha for forcing new members to consume milk and perform strenuous calisthenics, and against spirit groups for forced workouts and alcohol hazing.
• For Joshua Parents: This public record is powerful. If your child is hazed by a group with prior violations, it proves the university and the organization had clear notice of the risk. This significantly strengthens a negligence claim.

Southern Methodist University & Baylor University

These private institutions have their own challenges, often shielded by less public reporting.

• SMU: Past incidents include Kappa Alpha Order paddling and forced drinking. As a private school, internal investigations are less transparent, making aggressive legal discovery essential.
• Baylor: Following past scandals, Baylor faces heightened scrutiny. Hazing incidents within athletic teams, like the baseball team suspensions in 2020, occur within a culture still rebuilding trust.

The Common Thread for Joshua: Whether the school is public or private, in Houston or Waco, the legal principles are the same. Institutions have a duty to protect students from foreseeable harm. A pattern of prior incidents makes harm foreseeable.

Building a Unbeatable Case: Our Data-Driven Approach for Texas Families

When you contact us from Joshua, we don’t start from zero. We start with our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine and a proven playbook from cases like Bermudez’s.

1. Evidence Lockdown: We immediately guide you to preserve evidence. This includes saving group chats (watch our video on using your phone to document evidence), photographing injuries, and securing medical records. We work with digital forensics experts to recover deleted messages.
2. Defendant Mapping: Using data like the directory above, we identify every possible defendant: the individual members, the local chapter corporation, the national headquarters, the alumni housing board, and the university. We trace the insurance policies behind each one.
3. Proving the Pattern: We subpoena national fraternity records to show prior hazing incidents at other chapters—proving they knew this “tradition” was dangerous. We obtain university conduct files to show prior warnings. In the Bermudez case, this meant exposing the systemic failure of Pi Kappa Phi and UH.
4. Damage Calculation: Hazing causes profound harm. We work with economists and life-care planners to account for:
   • Economic Damages: All medical bills (ER, hospitalization, therapy), future medical care, lost educational opportunity, lost future earnings.
   • Non-Economic Damages: Pain and suffering, severe emotional distress, PTSD, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life.
   • Wrongful Death Damages: If the unthinkable happens, we seek compensation for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and the family’s grief.

Why Our Texas Expertise Matters: Mr. Lupe Peña, our associate attorney, spent years as an insurance defense attorney for large companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers will try to deny, delay, and undervalue your claim. We anticipate their tactics because we used to be on their side.

Critical Steps & Mistakes to Avoid: A Guide for Joshua Parents

What You Must Do:

• Prioritize Health: Get medical/psychological care immediately. Tell the doctor it was hazing.
• Document Everything: Create a timeline. Keep a dedicated notebook.
• Report Strategically: You can report to campus police, the Dean of Students, and local police. Consult with us first to understand the implications of each.
• Know the Deadline: Texas generally has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury. Do not wait. Learn more in our video on statutes of limitation.

Critical Mistakes That Can Ruin a Case:

1. Deleting Evidence: Telling your child to “clear their phone” destroys the case. Never do this.
2. Confronting the Fraternity Directly: This triggers their lawyers to lock down evidence and coach witnesses.
3. Signing University Paperwork: Schools may offer a quick “resolution” that waives your right to sue. Do not sign anything without an attorney.
4. Posting on Social Media: Defense investigators monitor everything. Inconsistencies can be used against you.
5. Waiting to See What the School Does: Universities often prioritize their reputation. While you wait, evidence vanishes and witnesses scatter.

We detail these pitfalls in our video on client mistakes that can ruin your injury case.

Why Choose The Manginello Law Firm / Attorney911?

When your family in Joshua is facing a hazing crisis, you need advocates who understand the depth of the fight. We are not just personal injury lawyers; we are institutional liability specialists.

• We Are Fighting Texas’s Biggest Hazing Case Right Now: We lead the litigation for Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi. We are in the arena, facing the same powerful defendants you might be up against.
• Insider Insurance Knowledge: Mr. Peña’s defense background gives us an unparalleled advantage in piercing insurance coverage denials and negotiating with adjusters.
• Complex Litigation Proven: Attorney Ralph Manginello was one of the few Texas lawyers involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by billion-dollar institutions, national fraternities, or university legal teams.
• Data-Driven Investigation: Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine means we already know the organizational landscape. We don’t start from scratch; we start from a position of knowledge.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish. Se habla Español.
• Contingency Fee Basis: You pay nothing unless we win your case. Learn how this works in our video on contingency fees.

Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation

If you are a parent in Joshua, Johnson County, or anywhere in Texas, and you believe your child has been hazed, you are not alone. The path is difficult, but accountability is possible. The University of Houston Pi Kappa Phi chapter is closed because a family fought back. Other chapters have been held responsible across the country.

We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to listen to your story, review any evidence you have, and explain your legal options clearly and honestly. We will help you understand the potential timelines, the process, and how we can fight to secure justice for your child and your family.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) today.

Call our 24/7 line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com (Se habla Español)

We serve families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. Let us help you turn this crisis into a catalyst for accountability and change.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources:

News Coverage of the UH Pi Kappa Phi Case:

• Click2Houston Report: 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 Report: 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:

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

Main Website:

• Attorney911: 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. The outcome of any legal matter depends on the specific facts and applicable law. If you or your child has been affected by hazing, we strongly encourage you to seek personalized legal counsel from a qualified attorney. Contact us at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free case evaluation.