Hazing in Texas: A Complete Guide for Munday Families Seeking Justice & Accountability

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

For parents in Munday, Knox County, and across the rolling plains of North Texas, sending your child off to college is filled with pride and promise. You imagine them pursuing an education at great Texas institutions like Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, or the University of Texas at Austin. You hope they find community, perhaps in a fraternity, sorority, athletic team, or Corps program. What you never imagine is receiving a panicked call in the middle of the night. Your child’s voice is slurred, scared, or they can’t speak at all. They’ve been hurt during a “tradition” or “initiation.” They’re in the hospital. The university is being evasive. The organization is closing ranks. You feel isolated, angry, and powerless hundreds of miles away in Munday.

This is not a hypothetical fear. It is happening right now in Texas. In Houston, just hours from Munday, our firm is actively litigating one of the most severe hazing cases in the country.

Right now, we represent Leonel Bermudez in a $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston, the Pi Kappa Phi national fraternity, its Beta Nu chapter housing corporation, and 13 individual fraternity leaders. The allegations are stomach-turning: a “pledge fanny pack” filled with humiliating items, forced consumption of milk and hot dogs until vomiting, extreme physical workouts, being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” and another pledge being hog-tied face-down on a table. This systemic abuse caused Mr. Bermudez to develop rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure. He passed brown urine, was hospitalized for four days, and faces ongoing risk of permanent organ damage. The Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter has been shut down, but the fight for full accountability—against the individuals, the chapter, the national organization, and the university that failed to protect him—is just beginning.

If you are a parent in Munday, Seymour, or Knox County, this case is your proof: hazing is not “boys will be boys.” It is a dangerous, often criminal abuse of power that can maim and kill. And it happens at the very universities where your children are building their futures.

This guide is for you. It is a comprehensive resource written for Texas families to understand what hazing really looks like in 2025, how Texas law protects your child, what has happened at major universities like Texas A&M and Texas Tech, and what legal paths exist toward justice, accountability, and preventing the next tragedy.

Immediate Help for a Hazing Emergency

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for any medical emergency.
• 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 – Critical Steps:

1. Get Medical Care: Insist on a full medical evaluation, even if injuries seem minor. Tell doctors the injuries resulted from hazing.
2. Preserve Evidence – DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING:
   • Screenshot ALL group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage, Discord).
   • Photograph injuries from multiple angles with good lighting.
   • Save physical items: torn clothing, paddles, receipts for forced purchases.
   • Write down everything your child tells you: names, dates, locations, specific acts.
3. DO NOT:
   • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team.
   • Let your child delete messages or “clean up” their phone.
   • Sign anything from the university or an insurance company.
   • Post details on public social media.
4. Contact an Experienced Hazing Attorney: Evidence disappears fast. Universities and organizations move quickly to control the narrative. We can help you preserve evidence and protect your child’s rights from the start. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for an immediate, confidential consultation.

What Hazing Really Looks Like in 2025: Beyond the Stereotypes

Hazing is not just about silly pranks or excessive partying. Under Texas law, hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act done for the purpose of initiation, affiliation, or maintenance of membership in a group that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student. This happens on and off campus.

For Munday families, it’s crucial to recognize the modern forms of hazing that often fly under the radar until it’s too late.

The Digital Hazing Trap

Today’s hazing is often administered through a smartphone. Pledges or new members are subjected to:

• 24/7 Group Chat Terror: Mandatory GroupMe or WhatsApp chats where members issue orders at all hours. Failure to respond instantly results in punishment.
• Social Media Humiliation: Being forced to post embarrassing content on Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat.
• Location Tracking: Required to share live location via apps like Find My Friends.
• Evidence in Plain Sight: Much of this abuse is documented in digital messages that can be preserved and used as powerful evidence.

The “Wellness” Disguise

To avoid detection, hazing is often rebranded:

• “Mandatory Workouts” or “Conditioning”: Extreme, punitive calisthenics (like the 100+ push-ups and 500 squats in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case) framed as fitness.
• “Team Building” or “Retreats”: Moving abuse to remote Airbnbs or cabins (like the Pi Delta Psi case in the Poconos).
• “Study Hours” or “Interviews”: Forced, hours-long sessions that are actually psychological grillings.

The Core Abuse Categories

Regardless of disguise, hazing falls into clear patterns:

• Alcohol & Substance Hazing: Forced drinking games, “family tree” shots, coerced consumption of drugs or unknown substances.
• Physical Hazing: Paddling, beatings, “smokings” (extreme exercise), sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme elements, forced eating until sick.
• Sexualized & Humiliating Hazing: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, degrading costumes or roles, racist or sexist mockery.
• Psychological Hazing: Verbal abuse, isolation from friends and family, threats of expulsion from the group, forced confessions.

A Critical Texas Law: Consent is NOT a defense to hazing. It doesn’t matter if your child “agreed” to participate. The law recognizes the immense power imbalance and coercion at play when a young person seeks belonging in a group.

Texas Law & Your Family’s Rights: The Legal Framework

Texas has specific laws governing hazing, primarily found in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F. Understanding this framework is the first step to understanding your family’s potential path forward.

Texas Hazing Law (Education Code §37.151-§37.156)

• Definition: Broadly covers any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers physical or mental health for purposes of initiation or affiliation into a group.
• Criminal Penalties:
  • Class B Misdemeanor: Basic hazing (up to 180 days jail, $2,000 fine).
  • Class A Misdemeanor: Hazing that causes injury requiring medical treatment.
  • State Jail Felony: Hazing that causes serious bodily injury or death.
  • It is also a crime to fail to report hazing you are aware of, or to retaliate against someone who reports.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be fined up to $10,000 per violation.
• Consent is No Defense (§37.155): The victim’s “agreement” to participate is irrelevant in a hazing prosecution.
• Good-Faith Reporter Immunity (§37.154): Individuals who report hazing in good faith are protected from civil or criminal liability related to that report. This encourages calling 911 in emergencies.

Criminal vs. Civil Cases: Two Paths to Accountability

1. Criminal Case: Brought by the state (DA or county attorney). Goal is punishment (jail, fines, probation). Charges can include hazing, assault, furnishing alcohol to minors, or manslaughter.
2. Civil Lawsuit: Brought by the victim and their family. Goal is compensation for damages and institutional accountability. This is where we help families recover for:
   • Medical bills (past and future)
   • Lost wages and educational opportunities
   • Physical pain and suffering
   • Psychological trauma (PTSD, anxiety, depression)
   • In wrongful death cases: funeral costs, loss of companionship, family’s emotional anguish

These two paths can proceed simultaneously. A criminal conviction is not needed to file a civil lawsuit.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Civil Hazing Case?

A thorough investigation seeks accountability from every entity that failed in its duty:

• The Individuals: The members who planned, executed, or covered up the hazing.
• The Local Chapter: The campus organization as a legal entity.
• The National Headquarters: Organizations like Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, or Pi Kappa Alpha that set policies, collect dues, and have a history of similar incidents.
• The University: For negligence in supervision, failing to act on prior warnings, or violating policies.
• Third Parties: Property owners, landlords of off-campus houses, or alcohol providers.

National Hazing Cases: The Patterns That Predict Tragedy

The horrific case at the University of Houston is not an anomaly. It is part of a national pattern. Major cases across the country have shaped laws, ended traditions, and shown how civil litigation can force change. These cases matter to Munday families because the same national organizations operating at Ohio State or LSU also have chapters at Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

Fatal Alcohol Hazing: A Predictable Script

• Stone Foltz – Bowling Green State (Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): A pledge died after being forced to drink an entire bottle of alcohol. Result: $10 million in total settlements ($7M from national Pi Kappa Alpha, ~$3M from BGSU).
• Timothy Piazza – Penn State (Beta Theta Pi, 2017): A bid acceptance night with extreme drinking led to fatal falls; help was delayed for hours. Result: Dozens of criminal charges, sweeping civil settlements, and the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law in Pennsylvania.
• Max Gruver – LSU (Phi Delta Theta, 2017): A “Bible study” drinking game turned fatal. Result: Criminal convictions and the Max Gruver Act, making hazing a felony in Louisiana.

The Pattern: A structured drinking event (“Big/Little,” “Bid Acceptance,” “Family Tree”) + coerced overconsumption + delayed medical care = tragedy. National fraternities know this pattern well.

Physical & Ritualized Violence

• Chun “Michael” Deng – Baruch College (Pi Delta Psi, 2013): A pledge died from traumatic brain injury after a violent, blindfolded “glass ceiling” ritual at a remote retreat. Result: The national fraternity was criminally convicted and banned from Pennsylvania for 10 years.

Severe, Non-Fatal Injuries

• Danny Santulli – Univ. of Missouri (Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): A pledge suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage from forced drinking. Result: Confidential multi-million-dollar settlements with 22 different defendants.
• Texas A&M Sigma Alpha Epsilon (2021): Pledges alleged being doused with industrial cleaner, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts. The chapter was suspended and lawsuits were filed.

The Lesson for Texas Families: These are not “accidents.” They are the foreseeable results of known, dangerous practices. When we investigate a hazing case at a Texas school, we look for these same patterns and the national organization’s prior knowledge of them.

The Texas Greek Ecosystem: A Data-Driven Look at the Organizations Around Munday Families

At Attorney911, we don’t just take a client’s word for it. We investigate using data. We maintain a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine built from public records to map the fraternities, sororities, housing corporations, and alumni chapters that operate across our state. This allows us to immediately identify all potentially liable entities behind a campus organization.

For parents in Munday and Knox County, understanding this ecosystem is key. Your child may be at a school hours away, but the organizations there are part of a vast, documented network.

Where Munday Families Send Their Kids: Campus Connections

Students from Munday and the surrounding North Texas region attend universities across the state. Prominent destinations include:

• Texas A&M University (College Station, Brazos County)
• Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Lubbock County)
• West Texas A&M University (Canyon, Randall County) – Part of the Amarillo metro area
• Midwestern State University (Wichita Falls, Wichita County) – In the Wichita Falls metro, the closest metro to Munday
• University of North Texas & Texas Woman’s University (Denton, Denton County)
• The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Travis County)
• University of Houston (Houston, Harris County)

Public Records Snapshot: Greek Organizations in the Wichita Falls Metro & Texas

Our data engine tracks over 1,400 Greek-related organizations across 25 Texas metros. Here is a snapshot of the type of publicly registered entities we monitor, relevant to families across Texas:

In the Wichita Falls Metro Area (which includes institutions near Munday like Midwestern State University), public records show Greek organizations such as:

• Delta Kappa Gamma Society – Theta Upsilon Chapter (Wichita Falls, TX) – Educators’ society.
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority – Wichita Falls Alumnae Chapter (Wichita Falls, TX) – Graduate chapter.
• Sigma Kappa Sorority – Gamma Phi Chapter Association (Wichita Falls, TX) – Related to Midwestern State University.
• Tau Kappa Epsilon – MSU Texas Chapter (Wichita Falls, TX) – Fraternity at Midwestern State University.

Statewide, IRS records list hundreds of entities, including examples like:

• Kappa Sigma – Mu Camma Chapter Inc (EIN: 133048786 | College Station, TX 77845) – IRS B83 filing.
• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc (EIN: 462267515 | Frisco, TX 75035) – IRS B83 filing.
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (EIN: 900293166 | College Station, TX 77843) – Texas A&M University chapter.
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority (EIN: 364091267 | Waco, TX 76710) – IRS B83 filing.
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc (EIN: 741380362 | Fort Worth, TX 76147) – IRS B83 filing.

Why this data matters for your case: When hazing occurs, liability often extends beyond the undergraduate students. It can include the local housing corporation that owns the house, the alumni chapter that mentors the group, and the national headquarters that sets policy. Our pre-existing directory means we don’t start from zero. We already know how to find the organizations behind the letters.

The Attorney911 Difference: Why Experience Matters in Hazing Litigation

When your family is facing a hazing crisis, you need more than a general personal injury lawyer. You need attorneys who understand the unique landscape of institutional power, Greek life secrecy, and insurance company tactics. You need a firm that has taken on billion-dollar defendants and won.

Our Flagship Case: Active, Aggressive Advocacy

We are not theorizing about hazing law. We are in the fight right now. Our representation of Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi is a current, high-stakes example of our commitment. We understand the medical complexity of rhabdomyolysis, the institutional playbook of university denial, and the tactics of national fraternity insurers because we are living it.

Core Strengths for Your Hazing Case

1. Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense attorney for a national firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurance companies value claims, fight coverage, and use delay tactics. We know their playbook because we used to run it.
2. Complex Institutional Litigation: Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We have faced down billion-dollar corporations with unlimited legal budgets. Universities and national fraternities do not intimidate us.
3. Data-Driven Investigation: We employ our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine and a network of digital forensics experts to recover deleted messages, subpoena national fraternity records, and uncover prior incidents that establish patterns of negligence.
4. Dual Civil & Criminal Understanding: Ralph’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand criminal hazing charges and how they interact with civil lawsuits. We can effectively advise clients navigating both systems.
5. Proven Multi-Million Dollar Results: We have recovered millions for clients in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. We work with economists, life-care planners, and vocational experts to fully value the lifelong impact of a hazing injury.
6. Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish (Se habla Español), ensuring all Texas families can access our help and be fully understood.

For a Munday family, this means you get a team that can immediately navigate the complexities of a case that may involve a fraternity house in Lubbock, a national headquarters in Charlotte, and a university system in Austin. We connect the dots.

Practical Steps for Munday Parents & Students

For Parents: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Listen & Support: If your child confides in you, remain calm. Your priority is their safety and health, not assigning blame in the first conversation.
2. Secure Medical Care: Insist on a professional medical evaluation to document all injuries, both physical and psychological.
3. Initiate Evidence Preservation: Help your child safely screenshot all relevant digital communications. Photograph injuries. Secure physical evidence.
4. Document Your Own Actions: Keep a log of all conversations, including dates, times, and who you spoke with at the university.
5. Seek Legal Counsel Early: Contact us before making formal statements to the university or police. We can help you navigate these processes to protect your child’s interests.

For Students: Your Safety & Rights

• Trust Your Gut: If an activity feels dangerous, degrading, or coerced, it probably is hazing.
• Know the Law: In Texas, you have protections as a good-faith reporter. Calling 911 for someone in medical distress is the right thing to do.
• Preserve Evidence: Take screenshots. Save emails. Tell a trusted friend or family member what is happening.
• You Have the Right to Leave: No membership is worth your life, health, or dignity. You can resign at any time.

Critical Mistakes That Can Harm a Case

• Deleting digital evidence (messages, photos, social media posts).
• Confronting the organization directly before consulting a lawyer.
• Signing university-offered resolution agreements without legal review.
• Posting detailed accounts on public social media.
• Waiting for the university to “handle it internally” while evidence disappears and witnesses are coached.

Your Path Forward: A Confidential Consultation with Attorney911

The journey after a hazing incident is overwhelming. You are dealing with your child’s trauma, a university bureaucracy, and an organization that may be circling the wagons. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

If you are a parent in Munday, Knox County, or anywhere in Texas and suspect your child has been hazed, we urge you to reach out. We serve families across the state from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont.

What to Expect in Your Free Consultation

1. A Compassionate Listening Ear: We will listen to your story without judgment.
2. A Preliminary Case Assessment: We will review the facts you have and explain the legal landscape.
3. Clear Explanation of Options: We will outline potential paths forward, which may include civil litigation, navigating criminal proceedings, or both.
4. Honest Discussion of Process: We will talk about timelines, what investigation entails, and how we work on a contingency fee basis—meaning you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
5. No Pressure: The decision to move forward is yours. Our goal is to empower you with information.

You are not just fighting for compensation. You are fighting for accountability that can change a toxic culture and prevent another family from experiencing this pain.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) Today

Call us 24/7 for a free, confidential consultation: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)

Direct Line: (713) 528-9070
Website: https://attorney911.com

We speak Spanish: Hablamos Español. Contact Mr. Lupe Peña at lupe@atty911.com.

Serving Munday, Knox County, and all of Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of the Leonel Bermudez / UH Pi Kappa Phi Hazing Lawsuit:

• Click2Houston Investigation: 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 Coverage: https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/

Attorney911 Educational Videos (YouTube):

• Using Your Cellphone to Document Evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
• Understanding Statutes of Limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
• Common Client Mistakes to Avoid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IYsoxOSxY
• How Contingency Fees Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc

Attorney911 Main Website & Contact:

• Free Consultation: https://attorney911.com

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. If you need legal advice, please contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC directly for a consultation.