Hazing in Texas: A Comprehensive Legal Guide for Ballinger Families
If you are a parent in Ballinger, the call can come at any hour. Your student at Angelo State University or Texas Tech, full of excitement about joining a campus organization just weeks ago, now sounds distant, exhausted, or afraid. They mention “mandatory” late-night meetings, vague “traditions,” or an injury brushed off as “just part of the process.” In communities like ours, built on trust and neighborly values, the idea that our children could be systematically abused in the name of brotherhood or sisterhood is unthinkable. Yet, it is happening at campuses across Texas right now.
The reality is stark: hazing is not a relic of the past. It is a present and persistent danger, one that has evolved with digital pressure and sophisticated cover-ups. As legal professionals who represent hazing victims and their families, we see firsthand the devastating physical and psychological aftermath. This guide is written specifically for parents and families in Ballinger, Winters, and across Runnels County to cut through the confusion, explain your legal rights under Texas law, and provide a clear path forward if your child has been harmed.
The Leonel Bermudez Case: Hazing Happens Here in Texas
To understand the seriousness of modern hazing, one need look no further than a current case unfolding at the University of Houston. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a student whose fall 2025 pledge period with the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter allegedly involved brutal and systematic abuse.
According to the lawsuit, Bermudez was subjected to a regime of humiliation and violence, including carrying a degrading “pledge fanny pack” 24/7, enforced sleep deprivation, and being sprayed in the face with a hose in a manner “similar to waterboarding.” The physical hazing culminated in a November 3rd “workout” where he was forced to complete over 100 push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion. This led to a medical catastrophe: Bermudez developed rhabdomyolysis, a severe muscle breakdown, and acute kidney failure. He passed brown urine, was hospitalized for four days, and faces the risk of permanent kidney damage.
This $10 million lawsuit names not only the individual fraternity members but the University of Houston, its Board of Regents, and Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters, asserting they knew or should have known about the systemic dangers. Following reports, the national fraternity suspended the chapter on November 6, 2025, and members voted to surrender their charter on November 14th. Media coverage from Click2Houston and ABC13 has brought these harrowing details to light.
This case is not an isolated incident. It is a stark reminder for every Texas family that severe hazing occurs within our borders, at our universities, and is actively being litigated. The patterns seen in Houston—forced consumption, extreme physical exertion, institutional failure—are precisely what we investigate in hazing cases statewide.
The Texas Greek Ecosystem: What Ballinger Families Are Up Against
When your child joins a fraternity or sorority, they are not just joining a local social club. They are entering a vast, interconnected network of legal entities with significant resources. For parents in Ballinger, whose students may attend universities across the state, understanding this landscape is the first step toward accountability.
Texas is home to a dense and complex web of Greek organizations. Public records, such as IRS filings for non-profits, reveal the formal structure behind the letters. These are not just student groups; they are often registered corporations with Employer Identification Numbers (EINs), property holdings, and insurance policies.
For example, within the broader Texas Greek network, public filings include entities such as:
- Kappa Sigma – Mu Camma Chapter Inc., EIN 133048786, in College Station, TX 77845 (IRS B83 filing).
- Gamma Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (Zeta Rho HCB), EIN 161675890, in The Woodlands, TX 77382 (IRS B83 filing).
- Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc., EIN 462267515, in Frisco, TX 75035 (IRS B83 filing).
- Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority – Mu Epsilon Chapter, operating in Beaumont, TX (Cause IQ metro listing).
- Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc., EIN 741380362, in Fort Worth, TX 76147 (IRS B83 & Cause IQ metro listing).
These organizations exist in every major Texas metro. The “Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington” metro area alone contains hundreds of Greek-related entities, from undergraduate house corporations to alumni chapters and educational foundations. This complexity is by design; it can shield national organizations and their assets. Our firm maintains a detailed intelligence engine tracking these entities because holding them accountable requires knowing exactly who they are, where they are based, and how they are connected.
Where Ballinger and Runnels County Students Go to College
The journey from Ballinger to a university campus is a point of pride for our families. Our students attend schools across Texas, from regional powerhouses to major state flagships. It is at these campuses where the risk of hazing materializes. Common destinations for local students include:
Regional and Nearby Campuses:
- Angelo State University (San Angelo, Tom Green County)
- Abilene Christian University (Abilene, Taylor County)
- Hardin-Simmons University (Abilene, Taylor County)
- McMurry University (Abilene, Taylor County)
- Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Lubbock County)
- West Texas A&M University (Canyon, Randall County)
Major State University Hubs:
- Texas A&M University (College Station, Brazos County)
- University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Travis County)
- University of Houston (Houston, Harris County)
- Baylor University (Waco, McLennan County)
- Texas State University (San Marcos, Hays County)
Each of these universities hosts a vibrant, and sometimes perilous, Greek life culture. Incidents at these schools follow national patterns. At Texas A&M, lawsuits have alleged severe chemical burns from hazing substances and degrading physical abuse within the Corps of Cadets. The University of Texas at Austin maintains a public hazing violations log, detailing sanctions against fraternities for forced consumption and extreme calisthenics. These are not distant problems; they are occurring at the very schools where our community sends its young people.
Understanding Hazing Liability Under Texas Law
Texas law takes a firm stance against hazing. The Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, provides the framework that governs these cases for Ballinger families.
What is Hazing Under Texas Law?
Hazing is defined as any intentional, knowing, or reckless act directed against a student for the purpose of initiation into, affiliation with, or maintaining membership in an organization. The act must endanger the student’s mental or physical health or safety. Critically, the law states that consent of the victim is not a defense. This means even if your child felt pressured to “go along with it,” the conduct is still illegal.
Criminal vs. Civil Liability:
- Criminal Hazing: Prosecuted by the state, this can range 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.
- Civil Lawsuit: This is where victims and their families seek accountability and compensation for their damages. A civil case can be pursued independently of any criminal action. The targets of such a lawsuit are multifaceted and can include:
- The individual students who planned and carried out the acts.
- The local chapter as an organization.
- The national fraternity or sorority headquarters, which may be liable for negligent supervision if they failed to enforce their own policies or ignored a pattern of misconduct.
- The university or college, which can be sued for negligent supervision, premises liability, or under Title IX if the hazing involved sexual harassment.
- Property owners of off-campus houses where hazing occurred.
The legal strategy involves building a case that connects the dots from the specific abusive acts to the entities that enabled or failed to prevent them. This is where deep investigative work and an understanding of institutional behavior are paramount.
Building a Powerful Case: The Attorney911 Approach
Facing national fraternities and university legal teams requires more than just a personal injury attorney; it requires institutional litigators with specific, relevant experience. Our approach is built on a foundation of insider knowledge and proven success in complex cases.
1. Insurance Insider Advantage:
Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, is a former insurance defense lawyer for a national firm. He spent years on the other side, defending large corporations and insurance companies. This is a critical advantage for our hazing clients. Mr. Peña knows firsthand how fraternity and university insurers evaluate claims, employ delay tactics, and attempt to use policy exclusions to deny coverage. We don’t just react to their strategy; we anticipate it. You can learn more about Mr. Peña’s background at https://attorney911.com/attorneys/lupe-pena/.
2. Experience Against Billion-Dollar Defendants:
Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. Taking on a global corporation with limitless legal resources taught us how to investigate root-cause institutional failures, manage massive discovery, and remain undaunted by well-funded defense teams. That same tenacity and skill set is directly applied to holding national fraternities and university systems accountable.
3. Data-Driven Investigation:
We go far beyond the initial incident. Using what we call our “Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine,” we map the entire organizational structure behind a chapter. We subpoena national fraternity records to uncover prior incident reports at other campuses, proving a known, dangerous pattern. We work with digital forensics experts to recover deleted group chats from platforms like GroupMe and WhatsApp. We obtain university discipline records to show prior warnings. This comprehensive investigation builds a case that is about systemic failure, not just a single bad night.
4. Full Damages Advocacy:
Hazing causes profound harm. We fight to recover all applicable damages:
- Economic Damages: All medical expenses (ER, hospitalization, surgery, future therapy), lost wages, and costs for interrupted education.
- Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for physical pain, severe emotional distress, PTSD, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Wrongful Death Damages: In the ultimate tragedy, we pursue claims for funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and the family’s profound emotional suffering.
We work with life-care planners, economists, and medical experts to ensure the full scope of a victim’s lifelong needs is presented and fought for.
Critical Steps for Ballinger Parents and Students
If you suspect or discover hazing, time is of the essence. Evidence disappears quickly as groups close ranks.
What to Do Immediately:
- Prioritize Safety and Health: If there is any immediate danger or injury, call 911. Get medical attention and ensure all injuries are fully documented by healthcare professionals.
- Preserve Evidence: This is crucial. Do not let your child delete anything.
- Screenshot all group chats, text messages, and social media DMs related to the organization. Capture timestamps and sender names.
- Photograph any injuries from multiple angles over several days to show progression.
- Save any physical evidence (torn clothing, paddles, bottles).
- Write down a detailed timeline of events while memories are fresh.
- Our video on using your phone to document evidence offers practical guidance.
- Understand the Reporting Landscape: You can report to campus police, the university’s Dean of Students office, and local law enforcement. Be aware that university internal processes are often designed to manage institutional risk.
- Consult an Attorney Before Making Statements: Do not give recorded statements to university investigators, fraternity representatives, or insurance adjusters without legal counsel. They are not on your side.
What NOT to Do:
- Do not confront the fraternity or sorority directly.
- Do not sign any documents from the university or any other party without having an attorney review them.
- Do not post details about the incident on public social media.
- Do not wait to see how the university “handles it.” Evidence vanishes and witness memories fade. The Texas statute of limitations imposes strict deadlines, which we explain in our video on statutes of limitations.
Why Ballinger Families Choose Attorney911
When your family is in crisis, you need advocates who combine legal precision with genuine compassion. At The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911), we are Legal Emergency Lawyers™. We provide immediate, aggressive, and professional help.
We serve hazing victims and their families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. For families in Ballinger, San Angelo, Abilene, and throughout West Texas, we offer comprehensive representation built on:
- A Track Record of Success: From multi-million dollar wrongful death settlements to complex institutional litigation like the BP case, we have the proven capability to win.
- Spanish Language Services: Mr. Peña is fluent in Spanish, ensuring we can serve all Texas families effectively.
- Contingency Fee Basis: You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Learn how this works in our video on contingency fees.
- A Commitment to Your Family: We understand the trauma and betrayal hazing causes. We fight not just for compensation, but for accountability and change to prevent future harm.
Contact Us for a Free, Confidential Consultation
If your child has been hazed at Angelo State University, Texas Tech, or any Texas campus, you are not alone. The path to healing and justice begins with a conversation.
Contact Attorney911 today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
- Call our 24/7 line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
- Visit our website: https://attorney911.com
- Email directly: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com
Let us listen to your story, explain your legal rights under Texas law, and help you make the best decision for your family’s future.
Plain Text Links to Key Resources:
News Coverage of the Leonel Bermudez / UH Pi Kappa Phi Hazing Lawsuit:
- Click2Houston Coverage:
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:
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 Cellphone to Document Evidence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs - Texas Statutes of Limitations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c - How Contingency Fees Work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc
Attorney911 Main Website:
- Contact & Information:
https://attorney911.com
Legal Disclaimer
This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC. Hazing laws and university policies can change. The information in this guide is current as of late 2025 but may not reflect the most recent developments. Every hazing case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts, evidence, and applicable law. If you or your child has been affected by hazing, we strongly encourage you to consult with a qualified Texas attorney who can review your specific situation.
The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911
Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas
Call: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Website: https://attorney911.com
