The Complete Guide to Hazing Laws, Cases & Accountability for Round Rock, Texas Families

If your child attends a Texas university, the late-night phone call you dread may come disguised as a joke. It’s a text from your student in Round Rock saying they’re “just really tired” from “group bonding.” But their voice is thin, and they can’t explain the bruise in the photo they accidentally sent. Or perhaps the call is from a hospital in College Station, where your son has been admitted with acute kidney failure after a fraternity “workout.” The university assures you they’re investigating, but the fraternity brothers have already deleted the GroupMe. You’re left in Round Rock, feeling powerless and searching for answers.

Right now, in Houston, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history. We represent Leonel Bermudez in a $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston, the Pi Kappa Phi national fraternity, and 13 individual members of its Beta Nu chapter. The allegations are harrowing: a “pledge fanny pack” filled with humiliating items, forced overconsumption of food leading to vomiting, being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” and extreme physical hazing that caused Bermudez to develop rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure. He was hospitalized for four days. His urine was brown. This is not a story from decades past; this lawsuit was filed in late 2025, and the chapter was shut down only after our action brought the abuse to light.

This guide is for you—the parents and families in Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, and across Williamson County who need to understand the brutal reality of modern hazing, the legal landscape in Texas, and what true accountability looks like. We will demystify what happens at universities like UT Austin, Texas A&M, and the University of Houston, explain how national fraternity histories create predictable patterns of abuse, and outline the practical, legal steps your family can take. If hazing has hurt your child, you are not alone, and you have more power than you know.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR HAZING EMERGENCIES

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for medical emergencies.
• Then call us, the Legal Emergency Lawyers™, at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide immediate help.

In the first 48 hours:

1. Get Medical Attention: Even if your child insists they are “fine,” seek professional evaluation. Conditions like rhabdomyolysis or internal injuries may not be immediately apparent.
2. Preserve Evidence BEFORE It’s Deleted:
   • Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), texts, and social media DMs.
   • Photograph injuries from multiple angles. Place a coin or ruler in the shot for scale.
   • Save physical items (torn clothing, paddles, receipts for forced purchases).
3. Write Everything Down: Document who, what, when, and where while memories are 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” evidence.

Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours. Evidence disappears fast. We can help you preserve it and protect your child’s rights. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for an immediate, confidential consultation.

What Hazing Really Looks Like in 2025: Beyond the Stereotypes

Hazing is not a harmless prank or a simple rite of passage. For families in Round Rock, understanding its evolution is critical. Modern hazing is often digitally coordinated, psychologically complex, and deliberately hidden.

The Legal Definition in Texas: Under Texas Education Code Chapter 37, hazing is 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. Crucially, the victim’s “consent” is not a defense.

Hazing today manifests in three escalating tiers:

1. Subtle Hazing: Power imbalances and psychological pressure. This includes forced servitude (being an on-call driver), mandatory “study blocks” that interfere with academics, social isolation, and being required to carry degrading items (like the “pledge fanny pack” in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case).
2. Harassment Hazing: Causes emotional or physical discomfort. This involves sleep deprivation, verbal abuse, forced consumption of unpalatable substances (like milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns), and excessive calisthenics framed as “workouts.”
3. Violent Hazing: High potential for severe injury or death. This includes forced alcohol consumption (“lineups,” “family tree” drinking games), physical beatings or paddling, dangerous physical “tests,” sexualized acts, and kidnapping scenarios.

The Digital Control Layer: What makes 2025 different is the 24/7 digital leash. Pledges are tracked via location-sharing apps, harassed through constant GroupMe demands, and humiliated on social media. Evidence is often captured on phones—both as trophies for perpetrators and, if preserved, as the key to justice for victims.

The Texas Legal Framework: Criminal Penalties and Civil Accountability

Texas law provides multiple avenues for holding perpetrators and institutions accountable. For a Round Rock family, navigating this system begins with understanding the key statutes and how they interact.

Texas Hazing Law (Education Code Chapter 37)

• Definition & Crime: Hazing is a criminal offense. It is a Class B misdemeanor, escalating to a Class A misdemeanor if the hazing causes injury requiring medical treatment, and a state jail felony if it causes serious bodily injury or death.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or other student organization itself can be prosecuted and fined up to $10,000 per violation if it authorized or encouraged the hazing.
• Consent is Irrelevant: Texas law is explicit: “It is not a defense to prosecution… that the person… consented to the hazing activity.”
• Immunity for Reporting: Individuals who in good faith report hazing to authorities are immune from civil or criminal liability for their own minor involvement (like underage drinking), encouraging life-saving intervention.

Civil Lawsuits: The Path to Compensation and Institutional Change

While criminal cases are pursued by the state, civil lawsuits are filed by victims and families to recover damages and force accountability. These are separate but often parallel paths. A civil case can proceed even without criminal charges.

Who can be held liable in a civil hazing lawsuit?

• The Individual Perpetrators: The students who planned, executed, or covered up the hazing.
• The Local Chapter: As an entity, if it is unincorporated or has its own corporate structure.
• The National Organization: Headquarters can be liable for negligent supervision, failure to enforce their own policies, and for patterns of known misconduct across their chapters.
• The University: Public universities like UT Austin and Texas A&M have a duty to protect students. They can be liable for “deliberate indifference” to known, widespread hazing or for negligent supervision of recognized student groups. Private universities like SMU and Baylor have similar duties.
• Housing Corporations & Landlords: Entities that own or control the properties where hazing occurs may bear responsibility.

Federal Laws Overlaying Texas Cases

• The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024): Requires universities receiving federal funds to publicly report hazing incidents and strengthen prevention programs, increasing transparency.
• Title IX: If hazing involves sexual harassment or assault, it triggers a university’s Title IX obligations for investigation and response.
• The Clery Act: Requires universities to disclose campus crime statistics, which can include hazing-related assaults or alcohol crimes.

National Hazing Cases: The Patterns That Predict Tragedy in Texas

The horrific case at the University of Houston is not an anomaly. It follows a national script written in years of preventable deaths and injuries. For Round Rock families, these cases are not just news stories; they are proof of predictable patterns that national fraternities and universities have failed to stop.

• Stone Foltz, Bowling Green State University (Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): A pledge died from alcohol poisoning after being forced to drink an entire bottle of liquor. His family secured a $10 million settlement. This case shows the lethal routine of “Big/Little” drinking nights.
• Timothy Piazza, Penn State University (Beta Theta Pi, 2017): A bid-acceptance night of forced drinking led to fatal falls, with brothers delaying 911 for hours. Security camera footage was crucial. The case led to Pennsylvania’ “Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law.”
• Max Gruver, LSU (Phi Delta Theta, 2017): A “Bible study” drinking game turned fatal. The case spurred Louisiana’s felony hazing “Max Gruver Act.”
• Danny Santulli, University of Missouri (Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): A pledge night led to catastrophic, permanent brain damage from alcohol poisoning, resulting in multi-million-dollar settlements with 22 defendants.

The Common Threads: Forced consumption, delayed medical care, destruction of evidence, and institutional failures. These national precedents empower lawsuits in Texas by establishing “foreseeability”—the legal principle that these organizations knew or should have known their traditions could kill.

A Texas-Specific Focus: Universities Serving Round Rock Families

Families in Round Rock and Williamson County send their students to a range of Texas universities. The hazing risk exists at each, but the campus culture and institutional response vary.

The University of Texas at Austin: Proximity and Prominence

For many Round Rock students, UT Austin is the flagship destination. Its Greek life is vast, and its public hazing violation log is one of the most transparent in the state—a crucial resource for families.

Documented Incidents & Pattern:
UT’s public hazing log reveals a pattern of alcohol and physical abuse masquerading as tradition. For example:

• Pi Kappa Alpha (2023): New members were directed to consume milk and perform strenuous calisthenics, sanctioned for hazing.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (Ongoing): The chapter has faced lawsuits and university scrutiny over alleged physical assault and hazardous activities.
• Various spirit groups and athletic organizations have also been sanctioned for forced workouts and alcohol-related hazing.

What This Means for Round Rock Families: UT’s transparency is a double-edged sword. It shows the problem is ongoing, but it also creates a public record that can be used to prove a chapter’s or university’s prior knowledge in a lawsuit. A hazing case involving UT would likely involve the UT Police Department and potentially the Austin Police Department, with civil filings in Travis County courts.

Texas A&M University: Corps Culture and Greek Life

Texas A&M’s unique Corps of Cadets culture and powerful Greek system present distinct hazing risks.

Documented Incidents:

• Sigma Alpha Epsilon Chemical Burns Case (2021): Pledges alleged they were doused with industrial-strength cleaner and other substances, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts. The chapter was suspended, and a lawsuit was filed.
• Corps of Cadets “Roasted Pig” Lawsuit (2023): A cadet alleged degrading hazing, including being bound in a humiliating position with an apple in his mouth, leading to a lawsuit seeking over $1 million.

What This Means for Round Rock Families: A&M cases often involve complex institutional layers—both the official university disciplinary system and the internal Corps command structure. Investigations require attorneys who understand how to navigate both.

University of Houston: Our Current Front Line

We are intimately familiar with UH’s landscape, as we are actively litigating the Leonel Bermudez case there. The allegations against Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu—involving the chapter house, a Culmore Drive residence, and Yellowstone Boulevard Park—represent the severe end of the hazing spectrum.

Institutional Response: UH called the conduct “deeply disturbing” and collaborated with the national fraternity to shut down the chapter. However, the lawsuit alleges the university failed in its duty to prevent the known, systemic abuse. This case is a prime example of why families need legal counsel to move beyond a university’s public statements to uncover the full truth and liability.

Southern Methodist University & Baylor University

These private universities have their own codes of conduct and disciplinary processes, which can be less transparent than public institutions.

• SMU: Has faced hazing incidents within its prominent Greek life, including a Kappa Alpha Order chapter suspension for paddling and forced drinking. Their private status requires aggressive legal discovery to obtain internal reports.
• Baylor: Has dealt with hazing in its athletic programs, including a 2020 baseball team