Hazing Victims in Alabama Deserve Justice: The Attorney 911 Legal Emergency Response
If your child was hospitalized, injured, or killed during a fraternity or sorority initiation in Alabama, this is not a “student conduct” issue. It is a legal emergency.
We are Attorney 911. We are Ralph Manginello and Lupe Eleno Peña. We are former insurance defense attorneys who now fight for victims. And right now, we are waging war against the culture of hazing that threatens students at universities across America, including here in Alabama.
You sent your child to college to build a future, not to be tortured in a basement. You trusted the university and the Greek system to keep them safe. That trust has been betrayed.
While our headquarters are in Houston, our reach is nationwide. We hold federal court admission in the Southern District of Texas and maintain a dual-state practice that allows us to pursue national fraternity organizations wherever they hide their assets. Whether the incident occurred in Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Birmingham, or Troy, we are prepared to travel to Alabama to fight for your family.
Call us immediately at 1-888-ATTY-911. We are ready to listen.
The Bermudez Case: A Warning for Alabama Parents
Right now, our firm is litigating a massive $10 MILLION lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and the University of Houston. We want Alabama families to understand the details of this case because it exposes exactly how modern hazing operates—and why you need aggressive legal representation.
On November 21, 2025, we filed suit on behalf of Leonel Bermudez, a young man who was brutally hazed by a chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. Leonel wasn’t just “pranked.” He was tortured.
The hazing rituals he endured included:
- Simulated Waterboarding: Being sprayed in the face with a high-pressure hose while performing calisthenics—a technique simulated drowning.
- Extreme Physical Exertion: Forced to perform over 500 squats, 100 pushups, and “suicides” until he collapsed.
- Forced Consumption: Being forced to eat food until he vomited, and then forced to continue exercising.
- Assault: Being struck with wooden paddles.
The result of this abuse was not just embarrassment. Leonel was hospitalized for four days with severe rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure. His muscles had broken down and released toxins into his bloodstream, shutting down his kidneys.
We are suing the local chapter, the national organization, the housing corporation, individual officers, and the university itself.
Why does this matter to Alabama?
Pi Kappa Phi has chapters across the nation, including at universities in Alabama. The same national organizations that allowed this to happen in Texas are overseeing chapters in your state. The same “traditions” that nearly killed our client are being practiced in fraternity houses near you. If this happened to Leonel, it can happen to your child at any university in Alabama.
We Know the Greek System in Alabama
Alabama is home to some of the most historic and active Greek life communities in the country. From the massive fraternity rows at the University of Alabama and Auburn University to the active chapters at UAB, Troy University, Samford, and Birmingham-Southern, Greek life is deeply embedded in the collegiate culture here.
We know that national fraternities—organizations like Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Pi Kappa Phi—have a massive presence on Alabama campuses. We also know that these organizations often prioritize their reputation and their endowments over the safety of your children.
We are watching.
We are aware of the major hazing incidents that have plagued universities in this region. For example, we noted the 2023 lawsuit filed regarding a traumatic brain injury (TBI) involving Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Alabama. This demonstrates that the dangers are real, present, and life-altering for Alabama students.
When we take a case, we don’t just look at the local college kids. We look at the top. We investigate the national bylaws, the insurance policies, and the systemic negligence that allows chapters to act like organized crime syndicates rather than student groups.
The Attorney 911 Advantage: Why Alabama Families Choose Us
When you are facing a national fraternity with millions of dollars in insurance coverage and a university with a team of lawyers, you cannot rely on a general practice attorney. You need hazing litigation experts.
1. We Are Former Insurance Defense Attorneys
Both Ralph Manginello and Lupe Peña spent years working for the other side. Can you imagine the advantage that gives us?
- We know exactly how insurance companies evaluate hazing claims.
- We know the “delay and deny” tactics they will use against your family.
- We know how they hide assets and attempt to shift blame to the victim.
- We use their own playbook to dismantle their defense.
2. We Identify Every Liable Party
In hazing cases, the perpetrators want you to believe it is just a few “bad apples.” That is rarely the truth. We pursue:
- The National Fraternity: For failing to enforce anti-hazing policies and negligent supervision.
- The University: For failing to protect students on their campus or in housing they own/control.
- The Housing Corporation: Generally the entity that owns the fraternity house property.
- The Advisors: Alumni who knew about the hazing and looked the other way.
- The Individuals: The officers and members who carried out the abuse.
3. We Are Trial-Ready
We prepare every case as if it is going before a jury. We have secured multi-million dollar results for our clients in complex personal injury litigation. We are not afraid of deep-pocketed defendants.
4. We Will Travel to Alabama
Justice has no borders. We will fly to Alabama for depositions, court hearings, and client meetings. We utilize video conferencing to keep you constantly updated, ensuring you have world-class representation right in your living room.
National Hazing Watchdog: We Track the Data
We don’t guess who might be responsible for hazing. We maintain intelligence on Greek organizations nationwide. We track the patterns of abuse that span decades.
The Multi-Million Dollar Precedent
Fraternities often act as if they are untouchable. The courts disagree. We utilize precedent cases to prove that juries are ready to award millions to victims of hazing:
- Stone Foltz (Bowling Green State / Pi Kappa Alpha): The family secured over $10 million in settlements after their son died from forced alcohol consumption.
- Maxwell Gruver (LSU / Phi Delta Theta): A jury awarded $6.1 million after Maxwell died from alcohol hazing.
- Timothy Piazza (Penn State / Beta Theta Pi): A massive, confidential settlement estimated at over $110 million, coupled with criminal convictions.
- Andrew Coffey (FSU / Pi Kappa Phi): A tragic death that put the very same fraternity we are currently suing on notice years ago.
The Message to Alabama Fraternities:
If you have a chapter at the University of Alabama, Auburn, or any other school in the state, know this: We know your history. We know your insurance structure. If you haze a student, we will use every legal tool available to hold you accountable.
What Alabama Parents Need to Know About Liability
If your child has been injured in a hazing incident in Alabama, you may hear many excuses.
- “He consented to it.”
- “He could have walked away.”
- “It was voluntary.”
We reject these defenses.
These arguments ignore the coercive power dynamic of hazing. When a freshman is surrounded by upperclassmen, threatened with social exile, or physically intimidated, there is no true consent.
Under civil law, we can pursue claims for:
- Negligence: Failing to provide a safe environment.
- Gross Negligence: Proceeding with conscious indifference to the safety of others.
- Assault and Battery: For physical beatings, paddling, or forced activities.
- Premises Liability: If the university or housing corporation owned the property where the abuse occurred.
- Wrongful Death: If the ultimate tragedy has occurred.
We seek Economic Damages (medical bills, lost tuition, lost future earnings) and Non-Economic Damages (pain and suffering, mental anguish, PTSD). In cases of egregious conduct—like the torture our client Leonel endured—we aggressively pursue Punitive Damages to punish the wrongdoers.
Immediate Steps for Alabama Hazing Victims
If you or your child has been hazed, the clock is ticking. Evidence disappears. Group chats are deleted. Witnesses are silenced. You must act now.
- Seek Medical Attention Immediately: Even if the injuries seem minor. Internal injuries, like the rhabdomyolysis our client suffered, can be invisible until they are life-threatening.
- Preserve Evidence: Do not delete texts, Snapchats, or photos. Take screenshots of everything. Save any physical items (pledge books, clothing).
- Do Not Speak to the Fraternity or University: They are looking to protect their liability, not your child. Do not sign anything.
- Call Attorney 911: Contact us before you speak to any insurance adjusters or university administrators.
Contact Us 24/7
We fight for families in Alabama because no student should have to start their adult life with trauma, and no parent should have to bury a child because of a fraternity ritual.
We work on a Contingency Fee Basis. This means you pay $0 upfront. We cover the costs of the investigation and litigation. We only get paid if we win your case.
Alabama families, we are ready to fight for you.
Call Now: 1-888-ATTY-911
Email: ralph@atty911.com
Web: attorney911.com
Attorney 911 – Legal Emergency Lawyers™
Serving Alabama, Texas, and Hazing Victims Nationwide.
