A Guide for Tehuacana Families: Understanding Hazing, Your Rights, and Paths to Justice in Texas
If your child left home for a Texas university, filled with promise, the last thing you expected was a call detailing humiliation, injury, or a hospital stay. For families in Tehuacana, Limestone County, and across Central Texas, the dream of college can collide with a hidden reality: systematic abuse within fraternities, sororities, athletic teams, and campus organizations. Right now, in Texas, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in recent memory, proving that these are not isolated incidents but a pattern of institutional failure.
This guide is written for you—parents, guardians, and students in Tehuacana and throughout Texas. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, the powerful Texas laws designed to protect your child, and the hard-won legal precedents that hold organizations accountable. We will focus on the universities where Tehuacana families often send their students—from nearby Baylor University in Waco to major hubs like the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Houston. Our goal is to arm you with knowledge, reveal the legal landscape, and show how experienced Texas hazing attorneys can fight for accountability, compensation, and the prevention of future harm.
If you suspect your child is in immediate danger or has been seriously injured, act now:
- Call 911 for any medical emergency.
- Then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 for immediate legal guidance. We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.
- In the first 48 hours: Secure medical care, preserve all digital evidence (screenshot group chats, photograph injuries), and write down everything your child remembers. Do not confront the organization, sign anything from the university, or let your child delete messages.
The Texas Case That Changed Everything: Leonel Bermudez & University of Houston
To understand the gravity and pattern of hazing, one must look at the case we are actively litigating. In late 2025, we filed a $10 million lawsuit on behalf of Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston (UH), the Pi Kappa Phi national fraternity, its Beta Nu chapter housing corporation, the UH System Board of Regents, and 13 individual fraternity leaders.
Leonel, a transfer student, accepted a bid to join Pi Kappa Phi’s Beta Nu chapter in Fall 2025. What followed was not brotherhood but a campaign of degradation and violence. He was forced to carry a “pledge fanny pack” 24/7 containing condoms, a sex toy, and other humiliating items. His days were consumed by enforced dress codes, hours-long “study” blocks, and overnight chauffeuring duties. The physical abuse was severe: sprinting, bear crawls, and “save-your-brother” drills at locations including the chapter house, a Culmore Drive residence, and Yellowstone Boulevard Park.
The abuse escalated to acts “similar to waterboarding,” where he was sprayed in the face with a hose. He was forced to consume excessive amounts of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, then ordered to immediately sprint. On November 3, 2025, he was forced through over 100 push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion. He collapsed afterward.
Days later, his urine turned brown. He was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis—a severe skeletal muscle breakdown—and acute kidney failure. He was hospitalized for four days with critically high creatine kinase levels and faces a lifelong risk of permanent kidney damage. The university called the conduct “deeply disturbing.” Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters suspended the chapter on November 6, and the members voted to surrender their charter on November 14, shutting it down.
This case, covered by Click2Houston and ABC13, is a stark Texas example. It demonstrates the specific acts that constitute hazing, the catastrophic medical consequences, and the web of liability that includes individual members, local chapters, national organizations, and the university itself. For families in Tehuacana, it is proof that this happens here in Texas, at our state’s major institutions.
Hazing in 2025: Beyond the Stereotypes
Hazing is not just “rough initiations” or “party games.” It is a spectrum of abuse designed to create power through humiliation, fear, and control. For Tehuacana parents, recognizing the signs is critical.
- Digital Hazing & Control: Constant monitoring via GroupMe or WhatsApp, demands for immediate response at all hours, forced location sharing, and social media humiliation are now standard. Evidence vanishes quickly, which is why documenting everything with your phone is crucial.
- Psychological Coercion: The framing is often “optional,” but the cost of refusal is social isolation, denial of a “Big” sibling, or being labeled “not committed.” This creates immense pressure, even if your child initially seemed willing.
- Physical & Substance Abuse: This includes forced consumption of alcohol or drugs (the leading cause of hazing deaths), extreme calisthenics (“smokings”), paddling, sleep deprivation, and exposure to extreme elements.
- Sexualized Humiliation: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, and degrading costumes are tragically common, often disguised as “tradition.”
These acts occur in fraternities and sororities (IFC, Panhellenic, NPHC), athletic teams, spirit groups like cheer and dance, marching bands, and military-style organizations like the Corps of Cadets.
Texas Law & Your Legal Rights
Texas has strong statutes, but navigating them requires expertise. The cornerstone is the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F.
- Definition (§37.151): Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation into or affiliation with an organization.
- Criminal Penalties (§37.152): Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. It becomes a Class A misdemeanor if it causes bodily injury and a State Jail Felony if it causes serious bodily injury or death.
- Consent is NOT a Defense (§37.155): Even if your child “went along with it,” the law recognizes the power imbalance and coercion inherent in hazing. This is a critical legal protection.
- Organizational Liability (§37.153): The organization itself can be fined up to $10,000 and lose university recognition.
- Good-Faith Reporting Immunity (§37.154): Those who report hazing or seek medical help in an emergency are protected from liability, encouraging life-saving action.
Civil lawsuits operate on a parallel track and are how families secure compensation for medical bills, trauma, and future care. Defendants can include:
- The individual students who planned and carried out the acts.
- The local chapter and its officers.
- The national fraternity or sorority headquarters, which often have deep insurance pockets and prior knowledge of hazing patterns.
- The university, for negligent supervision or failure to act on known dangers.
- Property owners and third-party vendors.
The Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: Why Data-Driven Lawyering Matters
At our firm, we don’t start from scratch. We maintain a proprietary investigative engine built on public records to map the ecosystem of Greek life in Texas. For Tehuacana families, this means we can immediately identify every entity behind a fraternity’s letters.
Public Records Directory: Fraternities, Sororities & Greek Organizations Connected to Texas Campuses
The following are real examples from IRS and public filings, showing the network of organizations we track:
- Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity, EIN 74-2911848, Fort Worth, TX 76244 (Cause IQ metro listing).
- Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc, EIN 74-1380362, Fort Worth, TX 76147 (IRS B83 filing).
- Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, EIN 74-6064445, Nederland, TX 77627 (IRS B83 filing).
- Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, EIN 36-4091267, Waco, TX 76710 (IRS B83 filing).
- Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, EIN 26-3170920, Denton, TX 76204 (IRS B83 filing).
- Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity Inc., EIN 47-5370943, Houston, TX 77204 (IRS B83 filing, Theta Delta chapter).
This data shows over 125 Texas-registered Greek entities in IRS filings alone, and over 1,400 related organizations across 25 Texas metros according to Cause IQ analysis. When your child is hazed, we use this directory to identify the housing corporations, alumni associations, and national foundations that may hold insurance and liability—entities that generic personal injury firms might miss.
Where Tehuacana Families Send Their Kids: A Campus-by-Campus Reality
Families in Limestone County and the Tehuacana area often have students at a mix of regional and flagship universities. Each campus has its own Greek ecosystem and history of incidents.
1. Baylor University (Waco, McLennan County)
As the closest major university to Tehuacana, Baylor’s Greek life is prominent. The university has faced significant scrutiny over institutional responses to campus abuse. Parents should know that organizations like Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), Kappa Sigma, and others have active chapters here, and national hazing histories follow them to Waco. Reporting channels go through Baylor’s Student Activities office and the Dean of Students.
2. The University of Texas at Austin
UT Austin is a destination for top students statewide. It is also one of the most transparent universities regarding hazing, maintaining a public online log of violations. This log shows a pattern: Pi Kappa Alpha sanctioned for forced milk consumption and calisthenics; spirit groups disciplined for alcohol hazing and kidnapping simulations. For a Tehuacana student at UT, this public record can be powerful evidence of a known, unaddressed pattern.
3. Texas A&M University (College Station, Brazos County)
The culture of tradition at A&M extends to its Corps of Cadets and robust Greek system. This has led to severe cases:
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): Pledges alleged they were doused with industrial-strength cleaner and other substances, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts. A lawsuit sought over $1 million.
- Corps of Cadets: A lawsuit alleged cadets were subjected to simulated sexual acts and bound in a “roasted pig” position. These cases show hazing extends far beyond social fraternities.
4. Southern Methodist University (Dallas)
SMU’s affluent, Greek-centered campus has not been immune. The Kappa Alpha Order chapter was suspended for paddling, forced drinking, and sleep deprivation. As a private university, SMU’s internal processes can be less transparent, making aggressive legal discovery essential.
5. University of Houston
As detailed in our flagship case, UH is ground zero for one of the most severe ongoing hazing litigations in Texas. Beyond Pi Kappa Phi, other chapters have faced sanctions. The university’s response in the Bermudez case—labeling acts “deeply disturbing” and cooperating with the fraternity’s national suspension—is a template for how institutions often react only after a lawsuit is filed.
National Patterns, Local Harm: Why Fraternity Histories Matter
The fraternity that hazes at UT or A&M is part of a national organization with a history. This history creates “foreseeability,” a key legal concept. Juries are more likely to hold nationals liable if they can see the same dangerous script played out elsewhere.
- Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike): Responsible for the death of Stone Foltz at Bowling Green State University (2021), leading to a $10+ million settlement.
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): One of the deadliest fraternities nationally, with multiple alcohol-poisoning deaths and the Texas A&M chemical burn case.
- Phi Delta Theta: Responsible for the death of Max Gruver at LSU (2017), leading to Louisiana’ felony hazing “Max Gruver Act.”
- Pi Kappa Phi: Responsible for the death of Andrew Coffey at Florida State University (2017).
When a Texas chapter repeats these patterns, it is not a “rogue” event; it is a predictable failure of the national organization to enforce its own policies.
Building a Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages
If hazing has impacted your family, the path forward is built on evidence and expert strategy.
Critical Evidence We Pursue:
- Digital Forensics: Deleted GroupMe, WhatsApp, and text messages. Social media posts, stories, and location tags.
- Internal Records: Chapter “pledge logs,” emails between members and nationals, risk management reports.
- University Files: Prior conduct violations for the same group, obtained via discovery.
- Medical Documentation: ER records clearly stating “hazing” as the cause, psychological evaluations for PTSD, and long-term prognosis reports.
Types of Recoverable Damages:
- Economic: All medical bills (past and future), lost tuition, diminished future earning capacity.
- Non-Economic: Pain and suffering, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life.
- Wrongful Death: Funeral costs, loss of companionship, and familial grief (in tragic cases).
Why Choose Attorney911? Texas-Based, Nationally Relevant Expertise
Our firm is built for these complex, institutional fights. For Tehuacana families, this means you have a team with proven advantages:
- Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as a defense lawyer for national insurance companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers try to deny, delay, and undervalue claims. This insider perspective is invaluable. Learn more about Mr. Peña’s background at https://attorney911.com/attorneys/lupe-pena/.
- Experience Against Giants: 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 or powerful universities. We know how to investigate root-cause negligence.
- Dual Civil & Criminal Insight: Ralph’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand both sides of a hazing case—crucial when criminal charges are also pending.
- The Data Advantage: We employ the Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, so we begin every case with a map of liability, not a blank slate.
- Spanish-Language Services: Se habla Español. Mr. Peña provides fluent Spanish-language legal counsel, ensuring all Texas families have access to justice.
A Direct Message to Tehuacana Parents & Students
If you are reading this because your world has been upended by a hazing incident, we understand the fear, anger, and confusion. Your priority is your child’s health and safety. Our priority is securing the evidence and building the case that holds every responsible party accountable.
Do not wait for the university to complete its “internal investigation.” Evidence disappears daily as messages are deleted and stories are aligned. The statute of limitations imposes a deadline. There are critical mistakes that can undermine a case that we can help you avoid.
We offer free, confidential consultations to Tehuacana families and those across Texas. On our contingency fee basis, you pay nothing unless we win your case. Learn how this works.
You are not alone in this fight. The same organizations, the same insurance tactics, and the same institutional cover-ups exist everywhere. We have the Texas-specific expertise, the proven track record, and the determination to stand with you.
Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) Today
- Call our Legal Emergency Line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
- Local: (713) 528-9070
- Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com (Se habla Español)
- Website: https://attorney911.com
Let us help you turn this crisis into accountability and prevent it from happening to another family from Tehuacana or anywhere else.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is fact-specific. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. For legal advice regarding your specific situation, please contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC for a consultation.
