Hazing in Texas: A Comprehensive Guide for Hempstead Families Seeking Justice and Accountability

For parents in Hempstead, Prairie View, and across Waller County, a late-night phone call from your college student is a moment of instant dread. That fear becomes a chilling reality when the voice on the other end whispers about something that happened at a fraternity house, a Corps event, or a team retreat—something involving forced drinking, extreme exercise, humiliation, or fear. You hear terms like “pledge night,” “big brother reveal,” or “tradition,” but your gut tells you this is different. This is abuse disguised as ritual. Your child, who you sent to the University of Houston, Texas A&M, Prairie View A&M, or another Texas campus to build a future, is now hurt, scared, and caught in a system designed to protect powerful institutions.

Right now, in Texas, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in the country. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who was brutally hazed by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter in fall 2025. What started as a bid to join a fraternity turned into months of degradation, forced labor, and violent physical abuse that culminated in rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure, a four-day hospitalization, and lifelong health risks. The details—from the humiliating “pledge fanny pack” to being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding”—are documented in a $10 million lawsuit and across major news reports.

This is not an isolated incident. It is a pattern. And for families in Hempstead, Brookshire, and throughout our community who send their children to Texas universities, understanding this pattern—and knowing how to fight back—is the difference between being victimized by a system and holding it accountable.

This guide is for you. We will explain what hazing really looks like in 2025, break down Texas and federal law, expose the national histories of fraternities and sororities on our campuses, and provide a clear, step-by-step path for protecting your child and demanding justice. We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, operating as Attorney911. We are Texas complex litigation attorneys with firsthand experience taking on billion-dollar corporations and national institutions. We represent hazing victims and their families because we believe in accountability, prevention, and the power of the law to protect the vulnerable.

Immediate Help for Hazing Emergencies

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for medical emergencies.
• Then call us: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide immediate help—that’s why we’re the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.

In the first 48 hours:

1. Get Medical Attention: Even if your child insists they are “fine,” seek evaluation. Internal injuries, kidney damage, and psychological trauma are not always immediately visible.
2. Preserve Evidence BEFORE It’s Deleted:
   • Screenshot every group chat (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), text, and social media DM. Capture full threads with names and timestamps.
   • Photograph injuries from multiple angles. Take pictures over several days as bruises evolve.
   • Save physical items: torn clothing, paddles, receipts for forced purchases.
3. Write Down Everything: While memory is fresh, document who, what, when, and where. Note names of members, witnesses, and locations.
4. DO NOT:
   • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team.
   • Sign anything from the university or an insurance company.
   • Post details on public social media.
   • Let your child delete messages or “clean up” evidence.

Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours. Evidence disappears fast. Universities move quickly to control narratives. We can help you preserve evidence, navigate reporting, and protect your child’s rights. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, immediate, and confidential consultation.

Part 1: Hazing in 2025 – What It Really Looks Like in Texas

For Hempstead families, the word “hazing” might conjure images of old movies: silly pranks or harmless initiations. That could not be further from today’s reality. Modern hazing is a calculated spectrum of abuse, often digitally coordinated and psychologically manipulative, designed to assert control and create loyalty through trauma.

A Modern Definition: Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act—on or off campus—directed against a student for the purpose of joining, maintaining membership in, or gaining status within a group, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of that student. Crucially, under Texas law, “consent” is not a defense. The power imbalance, peer pressure, and fear of exclusion mean true voluntary consent does not exist in these situations.

Hazing at Texas schools like UH, Texas A&M, and Prairie View A&M typically falls into three escalating tiers:

Tier 1: Subtle Hazing – The Foundation of Control

This is the grooming stage, often dismissed as “tradition” or “team building.” It establishes power dynamics and isolation.

• Servitude & Labor: Being on call 24/7 as a designated driver, cleaning members’ apartments, running personal errands.
• Social Control: Mandatory attendance at events that interfere with sleep or academics, being forbidden from socializing with certain people.
• Deception: Being told to lie to parents, RAs, or university officials about activities. “What happens here, stays here.”
• Digital Monitoring: Required to have location-sharing apps (Find My Friends, Life360) active at all times, instant mandatory responses in group chats at any hour.

Tier 2: Harassment Hazing – Psychological and Physical Discomfort

This creates an openly hostile and abusive environment.

• Sleep Deprivation: Late-night “study sessions” or “meetings” that last until dawn, followed by early morning wake-up calls.
• Verbal Abuse & Humiliation: Yelling, screaming, insults, being “grilled” about trivial facts, forced public performances.
• Forced Consumption: Eating excessive amounts of bland food (like milk or bread) or disgusting mixtures until vomiting.
• Unreasonable Physical Tasks: “Smokings”—extreme, punitive calisthenics like hundreds of push-ups or wall-sits until collapse, far beyond any legitimate conditioning.

Tier 3: Violent Hazing – High Risk of Severe Injury or Death

These are the acts that make national headlines and lead to criminal felony charges.

• Forced/Coerced Alcohol Consumption: The number one cause of hazing deaths. This includes “family tree” drinking games, “big/little” nights with handles of liquor, and lineups where pledges must chug.
• Physical Beatings: Paddling, punching, kicking, or tackling. This occurs in fraternities, sororities, and athletic teams.
• Sexualized Hazing: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, degrading sexual positions.
• Dangerous Environments: Being locked in freezing rooms or car trunks, denied access to bathrooms, or subjected to “retreats” at remote locations where abuse escalates.
• Kidnapping & Restraint: Being blindfolded, driven to an unknown location, or tied up.

The Leonel Bermudez case at UH involved all three tiers: the degrading “pledge fanny pack” (Tier 1), constant verbal abuse and sleep deprivation (Tier 2), and the violent physical workouts, forced overeating, and simulated waterboarding that caused acute kidney failure (Tier 3).

Where Hazing Happens: It is a myth that hazing only happens in “bad” fraternities. We see it in:

• Fraternities and Sororities (Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Multicultural).
• Athletic Teams, from football to cheerleading.
• Corps of Cadets and other military-style groups.
• Spirit and Tradition Organizations (like Texas A&M’s Corps units or spirit groups).
• Marching Bands and Performance Groups.
• Academic and Service Clubs.

The common thread is not the type of group, but a culture that values tradition over safety, loyalty over ethics, and secrecy over accountability.

Part 2: Texas Hazing Law & Liability – A Framework for Hempstead Families

When your child is harmed at a Texas university, the path to accountability runs through a specific legal framework. Understanding this framework is your first step toward justice. Texas has some of the nation’s most clearly defined hazing statutes, which exist alongside powerful federal laws.

The Texas Education Code: Your Foundation for Justice

Texas law on hazing is primarily found in Chapter 37, Subchapter F of the Education Code. It provides the definitions and penalties that govern cases involving our students.

• Definition (§37.151): Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the physical or mental health of a student for the purpose of initiation into, affiliation with, or maintaining membership in any organization.
• Criminal Penalties (§37.152):
  • 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. This is the charge that applies in cases like Leonel Bermudez’s, where rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure constitute serious bodily injury.
• Organizational Liability (§37.153): The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be prosecuted and fined up to $10,000 per violation if it authorized or encouraged the hazing, or if an officer knew and failed to report it.
• Consent is NOT a Defense (§37.155): This is critical. The law explicitly states that the victim’s “consent” to the activity is not a defense against hazing charges. Courts recognize the coercive power of peer pressure.
• Immunity for Good-Faith Reporting (§37.154): To encourage reporting and saving lives, individuals who in good faith report hazing or call for emergency medical help are generally immune from civil or criminal liability related to that report. Many universities have complementary “medical amnesty” policies.

Criminal vs. Civil Cases: Two Paths to Accountability

It is vital to understand the distinction between these two legal tracks, as they often run parallel in hazing cases.

• Criminal Cases: Brought by the State of Texas (via a county District Attorney). The goal is punishment—fines, probation, or jail time for individuals, and fines/debarment for organizations. A conviction requires proof “beyond a reasonable doubt.” For Hempstead families, this could mean the Harris County DA prosecuting a UH case or the Brazos County DA prosecuting a Texas A&M case.
• Civil Cases: Brought by the victim and their family. The goal is compensation for damages (medical bills, pain and suffering, lost future income) and institutional accountability. The standard of proof is lower (“by a preponderance of the evidence”). This is where we help families recover financially and force change. You do not need to wait for a criminal conviction to file a civil lawsuit.

The Federal Overlay: Title IX, Clery, and the Stop Campus Hazing Act

National laws create additional obligations for universities and create more avenues for liability.

• The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024): This new federal law requires colleges receiving federal funds (all public and most private Texas schools) to publicly report hazing incidents and strengthen prevention programs. This will increase transparency, making it harder for schools like UH or Texas A&M to hide patterns of abuse.
• Title IX: When hazing involves sexual harassment, assault, or gender-based hostility, it triggers a university’s Title IX obligations to investigate and provide a safe educational environment. Failure to do so can create separate federal liability.
• The Clery Act: Requires universities to disclose campus crime statistics. Hazing incidents that involve assault, kidnapping, or alcohol-related crimes may be Clery-reportable, and cover-ups can lead to massive federal fines.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Civil Hazing Lawsuit?

A strategic hazing lawsuit casts a wide net to ensure accountability reaches every responsible party. In a case stemming from an incident at a school like Prairie View A&M or the University of Houston, the defendant universe typically includes:

1. The Individual Perpetrators: The members who planned, executed, or covered up the hazing.
2. The Local Chapter: As a legal entity (often a housing corporation or chapter association).
3. The National Fraternity/Sorority Headquarters: This is often where the deepest pockets and greatest accountability lie. We argue they had a duty to supervise and that the hazing was foreseeable based on their own national history of identical incidents.
4. The University: Public universities like UH, Texas A&M, and Prairie View A&M have a legal duty to protect students. They can be liable for negligent supervision if they knew or should have known about a dangerous pattern and failed to act. We overcome “sovereign immunity” defenses by alleging gross negligence or violations of ministerial duties.
5. Third Parties: Landlords of off-campus houses, owners of retreat venues, or alcohol providers.

In the Bermudez lawsuit, we named all of these entities: the 13 individual Pi Kappa Phi members, the local Beta Nu chapter and its housing corporation, the Pi Kappa Phi national headquarters, the University of Houston, and the UH System Board of Regents. This comprehensive approach maximizes leverage and ensures the full story is uncovered.

Part 3: The Proof is in the Pattern – National Hazing Histories That Inform Texas Cases

The tragedy at UH is not an anomaly. It is a repeat performance in a decades-long national crisis. For Hempstead parents, understanding these national patterns is crucial because the same organizations operating at Texas schools have blood on their hands elsewhere. This history forms the backbone of “foreseeability” in civil lawsuits—proving these tragedies were predictable and preventable.

The Deadly Pattern of Forced Drinking:

• Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died from traumatic brain injuries after a bid acceptance night of forced drinking. Brothers delayed calling 911 for hours. The case led to the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law in Pennsylvania and resulted in dozens of criminal convictions.
• Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died of alcohol poisoning after a “Bible study” drinking game where wrong answers meant chugging. His death spurred Louisiana’s Max Gruver Act, creating felony hazing penalties.
• Andrew Coffey (Florida State, Pi Kappa Phi, 2017): Died after a “Big Brother” night where he was given a handle of liquor. This led to FSU suspending all Greek life.
• Stone Foltz (Bowling Green State, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): Died after being forced to drink a bottle of whiskey. His family secured a $10 million settlement ($7M from the national fraternity, ~$3M from the university). The chapter president was later ordered to pay $6.5 million personally.

The Pattern of Physical & Ritualized Violence:

• Chun “Michael” Deng (Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi, 2013): Died from brain injuries after a blindfolded “glass ceiling” tackling ritual at a remote retreat. The national fraternity was criminally convicted of manslaughter and banned from Pennsylvania for 10 years.
• Danny Santulli (Univ. of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage after a “pledge dad reveal” drinking event. His family settled with 22 defendants, highlighting the web of liability.

The Texas-Specific Incidents That Show a Statewide Problem:

• Texas A&M – Sigma Alpha Epsilon (2021): Pledges were allegedly doused with industrial-strength cleaner, raw eggs, and spit, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin graft surgeries. The chapter was suspended, and a lawsuit was filed.
• Texas A&M Corps of Cadets (2023): A lawsuit alleged cadets were subjected to degrading hazing, including being bound in a “roasted pig” position with an apple in their mouth.
• UT Austin – Sigma Alpha Epsilon (2024): An Australian exchange student allegedly suffered a dislocated leg, broken nose, and fractured tibia at a chapter event, leading to a lawsuit. The chapter was already on suspension for prior violations.

What This Means for Hempstead Families: When a Pi Kappa Phi chapter at UH engages in violent hazing, the national headquarters cannot claim ignorance. The death of Andrew Coffey at FSU in 2017—under nearly identical “big brother” circumstances—proves they knew the deadly risk. This pattern evidence is what transforms a local incident into a winnable case of institutional negligence.

Part 4: The Local Landscape – Greek Life & Universities Relevant to Hempstead Families

Waller County families are directly connected to a vast and complex network of fraternities, sororities, and campus organizations. Your child may attend the local Prairie View A&M University, commute to University of Houston, or head to Texas A&M, UT Austin, Baylor, or SMU. Each of these ecosystems has its own documented history with hazing. Using our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—built from public IRS records, university data, and metro organization directories—we maintain a clear picture of this landscape so you don’t have to start from zero.

Public Records Directory: The Organizations Behind the Letters

As part of our investigative process, we track the legal entities that make up Texas’s Greek life system. This is not an accusation, but a factual snapshot of the registered organizations that may be involved in a case. Below is a sample of the directory we maintain, showing the scale and structure parents are up against.

Fraternities, Sororities & Greek Organizations Serving Hempstead & Waller County Families:

This data is compiled from IRS Business Master File (B83) records for Texas-registered Greek organizations.

• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, EIN 237279532, PO Box 2142, Prairie View, TX 77446 (IRS B83 filing)
• Zeta Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., EIN 237098953, PO Box 2142, Prairie View, TX 77446 (IRS B83 filing)
• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc., EIN 462267515, 10601 Big Horn Trl, Frisco, TX 75035 (IRS B83 filing – connected to UH case)
• Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, EIN 746064445, 1855 Highway 69 N, Nederland, TX 77627 (IRS B83 filing)
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, EIN 364091267, 1101 Melrose Dr, Waco, TX 76710 (IRS B83 filing)
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc., EIN 741380362, PO Box 470061, Fort Worth, TX 76147 (IRS B83 filing)
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., EIN 453325054, PO Box 1312, Mansfield, TX 76063 (IRS B83 filing)
• Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity Inc., EIN 475370943, 5019 Calhoun Rd, Houston, TX 77204 (IRS B83 filing – Theta Delta chapter)
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, EIN 900293166, 114 Henderson Hall, College Station, TX 77843 (IRS B83 filing – Texas A&M chapter)
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated – Sigma Gamma Chapter, EIN 392352450, PO Box 540026, Houston, TX 77254 (IRS B83 filing)

This is a fraction of the 125+ Texas-registered Greek entities in the IRS database. In the wider Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area, business databases track 188 Greek-related organizations. Statewide, the number exceeds 1,400 entities across 25 metros.

Why We Share This: To show you that behind every fraternity or sorority on campus, there is a network of legal entities—house corporations, alumni chapters, educational foundations—that may hold insurance, assets, and liability. When we take a case, we don’t just sue the students; we investigate this entire ecosystem to ensure full accountability.

Campus Focus: Where Hempstead Families Send Their Kids

Prairie View A&M University

As Waller County’s own HBCU and a member of the Texas A&M System, PVAMU is part of the rich tradition of Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs or the Divine Nine).

• Culture & Context: BGLOs have a profound historical legacy of scholarship, leadership, and service. Hazing, particularly physical paddling, is a prohibited but persistent underground practice that betrays these core values.
• Legal Jurisdiction: A hazing case here would involve the PVAMU campus police, the Waller County Sheriff’s Office, and potentially the Waller County District Attorney’s office for criminal charges. Civil suits could be filed in Waller County or federal court.

University of Houston

For many Hempstead students, UH is a major destination. The Leonel Bermudez case is the most severe recent example of hazing at UH, but it is not the first.

• Documented History: Prior incidents include a 2016 Pi Kappa Alpha case where a pledge suffered a lacerated spleen. UH has suspended multiple chapters for hazing violations.
• Greek Ecosystem: UH hosts a large, diverse Greek community with IFC fraternities, Panhellenic sororities, NPHC, and multicultural councils.
• The Bermudez Case as a Precedent: This active, $10 million lawsuit we are litigating proves that UH and national fraternities can be held accountable. The chapter was suspended by nationals and voted to surrender its charter days after the story broke.

Texas A&M University

The culture of tradition in College Station extends deeply into Greek life and the Corps of Cadets.

• High-Risk Environments: The combination of a potent Greek system and the intense, tradition-bound Corps creates multiple avenues for hazing. The SAE chemical burn case and the Corps “roasted pig” lawsuit are stark examples.
• Legal Venue: Cases would be heard in Brazos County courts. Texas A&M, as a state institution, will assert sovereign immunity, which requires skilled litigation to overcome.

Other Major Texas Hubs (UT Austin, Baylor, SMU)

Hazing is an equal-opportunity issue, affecting large public flagships and prestigious private schools alike.

• UT Austin maintains a public hazing violations log, showing sanctions against organizations like Pi Kappa Alpha for forced calisthenics and milk drinking.
• Baylor has faced hazing scandals within its baseball program.
• SMU’s affluent Greek scene has seen chapters like Kappa Alpha Order suspended for paddling and forced drinking.

For a Hempstead parent, the takeaway is clear: no campus is immune. The specific traditions may differ, but the patterns of coercion, secrecy, and abuse are tragically consistent.

Part 5: Building a Hazing Case – Evidence, Strategy, and Our Approach

When you contact us after a hazing incident, we immediately initiate a strategic, multi-phase investigation designed to secure justice and maximum compensation. We treat these cases with the same rigor we applied to the BP Texas City explosion litigation—because universities and national fraternities are billion-dollar institutions with formidable defense teams.

Phase 1: Immediate Evidence Preservation & Crisis Management

In the first 48 hours, we guide you through critical steps to lock in evidence before it vanishes.

• Digital Forensics: We instruct you on how to properly screenshot and preserve group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), social media posts, and location data. We work with experts who can often recover deleted messages.
• Physical Evidence: Securing clothing, paddles, alcohol bottles, or other objects used in the hazing.
• Medical Advocacy: Ensuring your child gets a thorough medical evaluation and that the doctor documents the cause of injury as “hazing.” We obtain all ER records, lab results (like the critical creatine kinase levels showing rhabdomyolysis), and psychiatric evaluations.
• Witness Identification: Identifying other pledges, bystanders, or former members who may be willing to cooperate.

Phase 2: Investigative Discovery & Uncovering the Pattern

We leave no stone unturned in building your case.

• Subpoenaing National Fraternity Records: We demand the national headquarters’ files on the local chapter—prior incident reports, risk management visits, communications with advisors. We prove they knew or should have known this was happening.
• Obtaining University Files: Through public records requests and litigation discovery, we get the school’s disciplinary history on the organization, internal investigation notes, and Clery Act reports.
• Leveraging Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: We use our proprietary directory of Texas Greek entities to identify every potentially liable organization—house corporations, alumni associations, educational foundations—that may carry insurance.

Phase 3: Legal Strategy & Damages

We fight for full and fair compensation for every aspect of your family’s harm.

• Economic Damages: All past and future medical bills, lost wages, costs of psychological care, and diminished future earning capacity if there is permanent disability.
• Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for physical pain, emotional trauma, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages: In the ultimate tragedy, we seek damages for funeral costs, loss of financial support, and the profound grief and loss of companionship suffered by the family.
• Strategic Negotiation & Trial: Our co-founding attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense attorney for a national firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers value claims, deploy delay tactics, and fight coverage. We use this insider knowledge to counter their every move. While most cases settle, our readiness to go to trial—demonstrated by our federal court experience and trial record—forces defendants to offer serious, fair settlements.

Part 6: Practical Guidance for Hempstead Parents & Students

For Parents: Warning Signs & Action Steps

Red Flags Your Child May Be Being Hazed:

• Unexplained injuries, bruises, or burns.
• Extreme, constant fatigue beyond normal college stress.
• Sudden secrecy about organizational activities (“I can’t talk about it”).
• Personality changes: withdrawal, anxiety, depression, or defensiveness.
• Financial strain from unexplained “fines” or mandatory purchases.
• Being constantly glued to their phone, anxious about group chat notifications.

What to Do If You Suspect Hazing:

1. Talk Calmly & Listen: Ask open-ended questions. “Are you safe?” “Is anything happening that makes you uncomfortable?”
2. Prioritize Safety & Health: If there is any immediate danger or injury, call 911.
3. Preserve Evidence: Help them screenshot messages and photograph injuries.
4. Seek Expert Guidance: Call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 before reporting to the university. We can help you navigate the process in a way that protects your child’s rights and preserves legal claims.

For Students: Your Rights & How to Exit Safely

• You Have the Right to Be Safe: No tradition is worth your life or health.
• You Can Leave: You have the legal right to quit (“de-pledge”) at any time, for any reason. Send a clear email or text stating your resignation.
• How to Report Anonymously: You can use the National Anti-Hazing Hotline at 1-888-NOT-HAZE or your university’s anonymous reporting system.
• Good Faith Protections: Texas law and most school policies protect you from getting in trouble for underage drinking if you are calling 911 to save someone’s life.

Critical Mistakes That Can Damage Your Case

1. Deleting Evidence: Do not let your child delete texts, chats, or photos out of embarrassment. This can look like a cover-up and destroys your case.
2. Confronting the Organization Directly: This gives them a head start to destroy evidence, lawyer up, and intimidate witnesses.
3. Signing University Paperwork Without a Lawyer: Schools may offer “informal resolution” that asks you to waive your right to sue in exchange for a quick, low-value settlement.
4. Posting on Social Media: Public posts can be used by defense attorneys to contradict your story.
5. Waiting Too Long: The Texas statute of limitations for personal injury is generally two years. Evidence and witness memories fade fast.

Part 7: Why Choose Attorney911 for Your Hempstead Hazing Case?

When your family faces the trauma of hazing, you need more than a lawyer; you need strategic allies who understand the terrain and have the courage to fight powerful institutions. Here is why The Manginello Law Firm is uniquely equipped for this fight:

• We Are Actively Litigating a Major Texas Hazing Case Right Now: We are not theorizing about hazing law; we are in the trenches on the Leonel Bermudez v. UH & Pi Kappa Phi case. This gives us current, firsthand knowledge of how these cases unfold against universities and national fraternities.
• Insider Insurance Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him), is a former insurance defense lawyer for a national firm. He knows the exact tactics fraternity and university insurers will use to deny or minimize your claim. We know their playbook because we used to help write it.
• Experience Against Billion-Dollar Defendants: Co-founding attorney Ralph Manginello was one of the few Texas lawyers involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by the deep pockets and aggressive defense teams of national fraternities or university systems.
• A Data-Driven Investigative Advantage: Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—the public directory shared in this article—is a testament to our investigative depth. We don’t start from scratch; we start with a map of the organizational landscape.
• Dual Civil & Criminal Expertise: Ralph Manginello’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand the criminal side of hazing cases. We can effectively advise families navigating parallel criminal and civil proceedings.
• Spanish-Language Services Available: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish. Se habla Español.
• A Commitment to Accountability & Prevention: We take these cases not just to recover compensation, but to force institutional change that will protect the next generation of students from Hempstead and beyond.

Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation

If hazing has hurt your child and your family, you do not have to navigate this nightmare alone. We offer a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation to listen to your story, review any evidence you have, and explain all your legal options clearly and honestly.

We work on a contingency fee basis for personal injury cases. This means you pay no upfront fees. Our payment comes only if we successfully recover compensation for you.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911 Today:

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

Whether your child was hurt at Prairie View A&M, the University of Houston, Texas A&M, or any other campus, we serve families throughout Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. We are here to help you find answers, secure justice, and ensure this never happens to another family.

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
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com | lupe@atty911.com