A Canton Parent’s Guide to Texas College Hazing: Your Rights, Real Cases, and the Law

If you’re a parent in Van Zandt County, the thought of your child being hazed at college is a nightmare that feels distant—something that happens at faraway schools. Yet, right now, just over 150 miles from your home in Canton, one of the most serious hazing lawsuits in Texas is unfolding. It involves a student who developed acute kidney failure after being forced through brutal workouts, sprayed in the face with a hose, and humiliated with degrading rules at the University of Houston’s Pi Kappa Phi chapter. This is not an abstract problem. It is a present danger for Texas families, including those from Canton, Athens, and across East Texas who send their children to our state’s universities.

This comprehensive guide is written specifically for parents and students in Canton and Van Zandt County. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, break down the Texas laws designed to protect your child, and show you the legal pathways to accountability. We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, known as Attorney911, and we represent families in hazing cases across Texas. We are currently leading the litigation in the high-stakes University of Houston Pi Kappa Phi case. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge and resources you need to protect your family.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR HAZING EMERGENCIES

If you suspect your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for any medical emergency.
• Then call Attorney911: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911).
• We provide immediate, aggressive, professional help—that is our promise as the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.

In the First 48 Hours:

• Get Medical Attention: Even if your child insists they are “fine,” seek a professional medical evaluation. Internal injuries like rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) may not be immediately apparent.
• Preserve Evidence BEFORE It’s Deleted:
  • Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, texts), DMs, and social media posts.
  • Photograph any visible injuries from multiple angles.
  • Save any physical items (specific clothing, receipts, objects used).
• Document Everything: Write down everything your child tells you—names, dates, locations, and specific acts—while their memory is fresh.
• Do NOT:
  • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team directly.
  • Sign anything presented by the university or an insurance company.
  • Post details on public social media.
  • Allow your child to delete messages or “clean up” their phone.

Contact an Experienced Hazing Attorney: Evidence disappears with alarming speed. Universities and organizations move quickly to control the narrative. We can help you navigate this crisis, preserve critical evidence, and protect your child’s rights. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation.

Hazing in 2025: What It Really Looks Like in Texas

Hazing is often dismissed as “boys will be boys” or “hard traditions.” For Canton families, it’s crucial to understand that hazing is a calculated pattern of abuse that endangers mental and physical health for the sake of group affiliation. Under Texas law, it’s a crime. It evolves constantly, moving further underground and into digital spaces to avoid detection.

Modern Hazing Includes:

• Alcohol & Substance Coercion: Forced consumption during “Big/Little” nights, lineups, drinking games where wrong answers mean drinking, or being pressured to consume unknown mixtures.
• Physical & “Wellness” Disguised Abuse: Extreme calisthenics (“smokings”) leading to rhabdomyolysis (as in the UH case), paddling, sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme elements, or forced eating until vomiting.
• Psychological Torment: Verbal abuse, threats of expulsion from the group, social isolation, and forced humiliation.
• Digital Hazing: 24/7 demands via group chats, forced sharing of live location, public shaming on social media, and “challenges” recorded and shared.
• Sexualized Degradation: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, and degrading costumes or roles.

These acts are not limited to fraternities. They occur in sororities, athletic teams, Corps of Cadets programs, spirit groups like bands and cheer, and other campus organizations.

The Texas Law & Liability Framework: What Canton Families Need to Know

Texas has strong laws against hazing, designed to protect students from exactly the kind of coercion and injury we see in cases like the one at the University of Houston.

Texas Education Code, Chapter 37 (Hazing):

• Definition: Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation into, affiliation with, or maintaining membership in an organization.
• Key Provision – Consent is NOT a Defense: Texas law (§ 37.155) is explicit: a victim’s “consent” to the hazing activity is not a defense to prosecution. The law recognizes the power imbalance and coercion inherent in these situations.
• Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. It becomes a state jail felony if the hazing causes serious bodily injury or death. Individuals who fail to report hazing or who retaliate against reporters can also face charges.
• Organizational Liability: The organization itself (fraternity, sorority, team) can be fined up to $10,000 per violation and lose its university recognition.

Civil Liability Goes Further:
While criminal cases are brought by the state, civil lawsuits are filed by victims and families to seek compensation and accountability. In a civil case, you can potentially hold multiple parties liable:

1. Individual Members who planned, executed, or covered up the hazing.
2. The Local Chapter as an entity.
3. The National Headquarters (e.g., Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon) for negligent supervision, failure to enforce policies, and having knowledge of prior dangerous patterns.
4. The University for negligent supervision, deliberate indifference to known risks, or Title IX violations if the hazing is sexualized.
5. Property Owners & Third Parties (e.g., landlords of off-campus houses, alcohol providers).

A Texas Case in Focus: Leonel Bermudez v. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi

Right now, we are actively litigating a case that exemplifies the severe, systemic nature of modern hazing. In late 2025, we filed a $10 million lawsuit on behalf of Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student and Pi Kappa Phi pledge. The allegations, detailed in reports from Click2Houston and ABC13, include:

• Humiliating Rules: A mandatory “pledge fanny pack” containing condoms, a sex toy, and nicotine devices.
• Systematic Abuse: Enforced dress codes, overnight driving duties, and weekly interviews under threat.
• Violent Physical Hazing: Sprints, bear crawls, being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” lying in vomit-soaked grass, and forced consumption of milk and hot dogs until vomiting.
• The Catastrophic Injury: On November 3, 2025, Bermudez was forced to do over 100 push-ups and 500 squats. Days later, he was hospitalized for four days with rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure, passing brown urine and facing the risk of permanent kidney damage.

The lawsuit names 17 defendants: the University of Houston, its Board of Regents, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters, the local housing corporation, and 13 individual fraternity leaders. Following the exposure, the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter was suspended and its members voted to surrender their charter. This case is not history; it is active, serious litigation happening in our state. It proves that when families fight back with experienced counsel, they can shutter dangerous organizations and demand justice.

The Greek Ecosystem Serving Canton & Van Zandt County Families

When your child joins a fraternity or sorority at a Texas university, they are not just joining a local club. They are connecting to a vast, multi-layered network of legally recognized organizations with insurance policies, national oversight, and deep pockets. For parents in Canton, it’s vital to know who you may be dealing with if something goes wrong.

Our firm maintains a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, built from public records, to track this complex ecosystem. This data-driven approach ensures we can identify every potentially liable entity from day one.

Where Canton Families Send Their Kids:
Canton and Van Zandt County students often attend universities across the region and state. Key campuses include:

• Regional & Local Campuses: Trinity Valley Community College (Athens), Tyler Junior College, The University of Texas at Tyler, Texas A&M University-Commerce.
• Major Texas Hubs: The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University (College Station), University of Houston, Baylor University (Waco), Southern Methodist University (Dallas). These schools draw students from every corner of Texas, including East Texas.

Public Records Directory: Greek Organizations in the Region
The following are examples of registered Greek-letter organizations in Texas, illustrating the network behind the letters. This is a small sample from public IRS (B83) and commercial data tracking over 1,400 such entities statewide.

• Sigma Phi Lambda Inc., EIN 83-30539639, Corinth, TX 76210 (IRS B83 filing).
• Kappa Sigma – Mu Gamma Chapter Inc., EIN 27-3662583, Lufkin, TX 75904 (IRS B83 filing).
• Alpha Tau Omega Housing Corporation of Eta Iota Chapter, EIN 30-0517788, Nacogdoches, TX 75965 (IRS B83 filing).
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, EIN 35-2335400, Tyler, TX 75799 (IRS B83 filing for UT Tyler).
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. – Sigma Gamma Chapter, EIN 39-2352450, Houston, TX 77254 (IRS B83 graduate chapter).
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc., EIN 74-1380362, Fort Worth, TX 76147 (Cause IQ metro listing, Dallas-Fort Worth).
• Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity, EIN 74-2911848, Fort Worth, TX 76244 (Listed in both IRS and Cause IQ data – a cross-validated brand).

Metro Context: The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, which influences much of East Texas, contains over 510 Greek-related organizations according to Cause IQ data. The Houston metro contains over 180. These entities include undergraduate chapters, alumni associations, housing corporations, and educational foundations—all of which can be part of the liability puzzle in a hazing case.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and the Attorney911 Advantage

Building a successful hazing case requires an investigative depth that matches the sophistication of the organizations you’re up against. Universities and national fraternities have experienced defense teams and insurers. Winning requires more than just telling your story; it requires proving it with undeniable evidence and a strategic command of the law.

Critical Evidence We Pursue:

• Digital Forensics: Deleted group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp), social media archives, location data, and email chains. We work with experts to recover what has been “erased.”
• Internal Organizational Records: Pledge manuals, chapter meeting minutes, risk management reports, and communications with national headquarters—obtained through aggressive discovery.
• University Files: Prior disciplinary records for the same group, Clery Act reports, and internal investigation documents.
• Medical Documentation: Comprehensive records linking the injuries directly to the hazing events, including ER reports, lab results showing conditions like rhabdomyolysis, and psychological evaluations for PTSD.
• Witness Testimony: Other pledges, former members, roommates, and alumni who are often afraid to come forward without legal protection.

Why Attorney911 for Texas Hazing Cases:
When your family is facing a hazing crisis, you need attorneys who understand both the emotional trauma and the complex legal battlefield. Here is why our firm is uniquely equipped:

• We Are Leading the Fight Right Now: We are counsel in the Leonel Bermudez v. UH & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit. This isn’t theoretical knowledge; it’s active, high-stakes litigation experience against a major university and national fraternity.
• Insider Knowledge of Insurance Defense: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him), spent years as an insurance defense attorney for a national firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers evaluate claims, deploy delay tactics, and fight coverage. We know their playbook because we used to run it. You can learn more about Mr. Peña’s background at https://attorney911.com/attorneys/lupe-pena/.
• Experience Against Billion-Dollar Defendants: Managing Partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by deep-pocketed, institutional defendants like national fraternities and university systems. We have federal court experience and a 25-year record of complex litigation. Learn about Ralph’s background at https://attorney911.com/attorneys/ralph-manginello/.
• Data-Driven Investigation: We employ the Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine to map the entire organizational network behind a chapter, ensuring we leave no liable party uninvestigated.
• Dual Civil & Criminal Capability: Ralph Manginello is a member of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA). We understand how criminal hazing charges interact with civil lawsuits and can advise clients on both fronts.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish, ensuring we can serve all Texas families with comfort and clarity.

Practical Steps for Canton Parents & Students

For Parents – Warning Signs & Action:

• Watch For: Unexplained injuries, drastic weight change, extreme fatigue, withdrawal from family/friends, secretive phone use, anxiety about missing group events, sudden requests for large sums of money.
• How to Talk: Ask open-ended questions. “I’m worried about you. Are you safe in your organization?” Emphasize that their safety is all that matters.
• If Injury Occurs: Prioritize medical care. Then, follow the 48-Hour Checklist above. Contact our firm before reporting to the university to ensure evidence is preserved and your rights are protected.

For Students – Your Safety & Rights:

• Trust Your Instincts: If it feels dangerous, degrading, or coerced, it is hazing.
• You Have the Right to Leave: You can resign your membership at any time. Send a clear text or email to create a record.
• Preserve Evidence: Screenshot everything. Take photos. Save videos. Do not delete anything. Our video on using your phone to document evidence provides critical guidance.
• Report Safely: You can report to the Dean of Students, campus police, or anonymously through the National Anti-Hazing Hotline (1-888-NOT-HAZE). In Texas, good-faith reporters have certain immunities.

Critical Mistakes That Can Harm a Case:
We’ve detailed the most common errors in our video “Client Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Injury Case.” Key pitfalls include:

1. Deleting messages or social media posts.
2. Confronting the organization before speaking with a lawyer.
3. Signing university-offered resolution agreements without legal review.
4. Posting about the incident on public social media.
5. Waiting too long to act, allowing evidence to disappear and memories to fade.

Frequently Asked Questions for Texas Families

Q: Can we sue a university in Texas for hazing?
A: Yes. While public universities have some sovereign immunity defenses, exceptions exist for gross negligence, violations of ministerial duties, and Title IX claims. Furthermore, lawsuits against individual administrators and the national fraternity/sorority are common and effective. The university’s knowledge of prior incidents is often a key factor.

Q: How long do we have to file a lawsuit?
A: In Texas, the statute of limitations for personal injury, including hazing injury, is generally two years from the date of injury. For wrongful death, it’s two years from the date of death. However, certain factors can “toll” or pause this clock. It is critical to consult an attorney immediately to protect your rights. Learn more about timelines in our video on Texas statutes of limitations.

Q: What if the hazing happened off-campus at a rental house?
A: Location does not absolve liability. National fraternities and universities can still be held responsible for activities they sponsor, know about, or should have known about, regardless of where they occur. Property owners may also bear responsibility under premises liability laws.

Q: How much does it cost to hire your firm?
A: We handle hazing cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay no upfront fees or out-of-pocket costs. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery we obtain for you. If we do not win your case, you do not owe us attorney fees. We explain this fully in our video on how contingency fees work.

Q: Will my child’s name be in the news?
A: Most civil cases settle confidentially before a public trial. We always prioritize our clients’ privacy and will pursue every legal avenue to protect your family’s identity while aggressively seeking accountability.

Your Next Step: A Confidential Consultation with Attorney911

If hazing has impacted your family in Canton, Van Zandt County, or anywhere in Texas, you do not have to navigate this alone. The institutions involved will have powerful legal representation from the start. You deserve the same.

We invite you to contact The Manginello Law Firm for a free, confidential, and no-obligation consultation. In this meeting, we will:

• Listen compassionately to your experience.
• Review any evidence you have gathered.
• Explain your legal rights and options under Texas law.
• Outline our investigative approach and what you can expect.
• Answer your questions about the process, timing, and our contingency fee structure.

We serve families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. Se habla Español.

Contact Attorney911 Today:

• 24/7 Phone: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
• Direct Line: (713) 528-9070
• Website: https://attorney911.com
• Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com

Protect your child. Hold the right people accountable. Call us now.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of the UH Pi Kappa Phi Case:
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/
https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/
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 phone for evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
Texas statutes of limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
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:
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, university policies, and legal precedents 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 the specific facts, evidence, applicable law, and many other factors.

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, explain your legal rights, and advise you on the best course of action for your family.

The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911
Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas
Call: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com