Attorney 911: Union County Hazing Victim Legal Support
🚨 Hazing in Union County: A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight
Union County families send their children to college expecting safety, opportunity, and growth. But for too many students in Arkansas and across the nation, the dream of higher education becomes a nightmare of abuse, humiliation, and life-altering injuries—all in the name of “tradition.”
At Attorney 911, we’re fighting this crisis head-on. Right now, we’re litigating a $10 million hazing lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi and the University of Houston after a pledge was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure from extreme physical abuse. The same fraternities, the same dangers, and the same institutional failures exist at universities near Union County.
If your child has been hazed, abused, or injured in Union County or anywhere in Arkansas, you have legal rights—and we will fight for you.
🔍 What Is Hazing? The Truth Behind the “Tradition”
Hazing isn’t just “boys being boys” or harmless pranks. It’s a systematic form of abuse designed to humiliate, degrade, and physically harm students under the guise of “initiation.” In Union County and across Arkansas, hazing takes many forms:
Physical Abuse
- Extreme exercise to exhaustion (500 squats, 100+ pushups, bear crawls)
- Forced consumption (alcohol, food, or non-food items until vomiting)
- Beatings with wooden paddles or other objects
- Waterboarding or simulated drowning (yes, this happens)
- Sleep deprivation (forced late-night activities, early-morning servitude)
Psychological Torture
- Public humiliation (forced nudity, carrying sexual objects, verbal abuse)
- Threats of expulsion or physical harm
- Isolation from friends and family
- Forced servitude (driving members, cleaning, running errands)
Medical Consequences
Hazing doesn’t just leave emotional scars—it can destroy lives. Victims in Union County and nationwide have suffered:
- Rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown leading to kidney failure)
- Alcohol poisoning (forced binge drinking)
- Traumatic brain injuries (from beatings or falls)
- Heatstroke or hypothermia (from extreme weather exposure)
- PTSD, anxiety, and depression (long-term psychological damage)
- Death (hazing has killed students in Arkansas and across the U.S.)
This isn’t tradition. It’s torture.
💔 Real Cases, Real Victims: Hazing Happens in Union County Too
📌 The $10 Million Case We’re Fighting Right Now
In November 2025, we filed a $10 million lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi and the University of Houston after a pledge, Leonel Bermudez, was hospitalized with severe rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure from weeks of systematic abuse, including:
- Waterboarding with a garden hose (simulated drowning)
- Forced to do 500 squats and 100+ pushups until he collapsed
- Struck with wooden paddles
- Forced to eat until vomiting, then made to continue exercising
- Another pledge lost consciousness during hazing—yet they kept going
Why This Matters for Union County Families:
- Pi Kappa Phi has 150+ chapters nationwide, including near Union County.
- Universities near Union County face the same liability failures as UH—ignoring hazing until someone gets hurt.
- The same “traditions” that hospitalized our client happen in Arkansas.
- If your child is being hazed in Union County, we will fight for you just like we’re fighting in Houston.
📌 Other Hazing Cases That Prove the Pattern
Hazing isn’t an isolated problem—it’s a national epidemic with multi-million-dollar consequences for universities and fraternities:
| Case | University | Fraternity | Outcome | Why It Matters for Union County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Foltz | Bowling Green State | Pi Kappa Alpha | $10.1M settlement | Largest hazing payout in Ohio history—proves juries will hold fraternities accountable. |
| Maxwell Gruver | Louisiana State | Phi Delta Theta | $6.1M jury verdict | Resulted in Louisiana’s Max Gruver Act, making hazing a felony. |
| Timothy Piazza | Penn State | Beta Theta Pi | $110M+ settlement | Security cameras captured fraternity members waiting 12 hours to call 911 after a pledge fell down stairs repeatedly. |
| Andrew Coffey | Florida State | Pi Kappa Phi | Confidential settlement | Same fraternity as our case—proves Pi Kappa Phi had 8 years to fix its culture after Coffey’s death. They failed. |
| Adam Oakes | Virginia Commonwealth | Delta Chi | $4M+ settlement | Another recent case showing hazing lawsuits win big. |
Union County families: These cases prove that hazing victims can—and do—win. The same legal strategies apply to Arkansas cases.
⚖️ Your Legal Rights as a Union County Hazing Victim
If your child has been hazed in Union County or anywhere in Arkansas, you have powerful legal rights under Arkansas law, federal law, and civil rights protections.
📜 Arkansas Anti-Hazing Law (Ark. Code Ann. § 6-5-201 et seq.)
Arkansas law explicitly prohibits hazing and defines it as any activity that:
- Endangers the physical or mental health of a student
- Involves forced consumption of alcohol, drugs, or other substances
- Involves physical brutality, sleep deprivation, or exposure to extreme conditions
- Is done for the purpose of initiation into a student organization
Penalties for Hazing in Arkansas:
- Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year in jail and $2,500 fine)
- Class D felony (if hazing results in serious physical injury or death)
- Organizations can be fined up to $10,000
- Universities can lose state funding
Important: Consent is NOT a defense. Even if your child “agreed” to participate, the law explicitly states that consent does not excuse hazing.
🏛️ Civil Lawsuits: Holding Institutions Accountable
Criminal charges punish individuals, but civil lawsuits hold institutions accountable—and can result in millions in compensation for victims.
Who Can Be Sued in a Union County Hazing Case?
| Defendant | Why They’re Liable | Union County Application |
|---|---|---|
| Local Fraternity Chapter | Directly organized and conducted hazing | Same chapters operate near Union County |
| National Fraternity/Sorority | Failed to supervise; knew about hazing culture | Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and others have Arkansas chapters |
| University/College | Failed to protect students; owned property where hazing occurred | Universities near Union County have the same duty to protect students |
| Individual Members | Participated in or facilitated hazing | Can be sued personally for assault, battery, and emotional distress |
| Alumni/Hosts | Allowed hazing at their homes | Premises liability applies in Union County |
| Insurance Companies | Provide coverage for fraternities and universities | Deep pockets for compensation |
What Damages Can Union County Victims Recover?
| Type of Damage | Examples | Potential Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Expenses | Hospital bills, ER visits, therapy, future treatment | $50,000–$500,000+ |
| Lost Wages | Time missed from work or internships | $10,000–$100,000+ |
| Pain & Suffering | Physical pain, emotional trauma, PTSD | $100,000–$3,000,000+ |
| Punitive Damages | Punishment for egregious conduct (e.g., waterboarding) | $500,000–$5,000,000+ |
| Wrongful Death | If hazing results in death | $1,000,000–$10,000,000+ |
Union County families: In Arkansas, there is no cap on pain and suffering damages in personal injury cases. This means juries can award millions for the physical and emotional harm caused by hazing.
🚨 What to Do If Your Child Is Hazed in Union County
Hazing victims often stay silent out of fear, shame, or loyalty to the organization. But evidence disappears quickly, and statutes of limitations expire. If your child has been hazed in Union County, act now:
✅ Step 1: Get Medical Help Immediately
- Go to the ER or urgent care—even if injuries seem minor.
- Document everything: bruises, cuts, vomiting, difficulty walking, or psychological symptoms.
- Ask for a full medical report—this is critical evidence.
✅ Step 2: Preserve All Evidence
Hazing cases are won or lost on evidence. Save:
- Text messages, GroupMe chats, Snapchats, Instagram DMs (screenshot everything)
- Photos/videos of injuries, hazing activities, or fraternity houses
- Witness names and contact info (other pledges, bystanders)
- Fraternity documents (pledge manuals, schedules, rules)
- Medical records (hospital bills, doctor’s notes, therapy records)
- Social media posts (even if they seem unrelated)
⚠️ WARNING: Do NOT delete anything—even if it’s embarrassing. Destroying evidence can destroy your case.
✅ Step 3: Do NOT Talk to the Fraternity or University Alone
- Fraternities and universities will try to control the narrative.
- They may offer “apologies” or small settlements—but these often come with gag orders that prevent you from suing later.
- Do NOT sign anything without consulting an attorney.
✅ Step 4: Contact Attorney 911 Immediately
📞 Call 1-888-ATTY-911 (24/7) or email ralph@atty911.com
We offer:
✔ Free, confidential consultations for Union County families
✔ No upfront costs—we work on contingency (you pay nothing unless we win)
✔ Aggressive representation—we’re currently fighting a $10M hazing case and know how to win
✔ Nationwide reach—we serve hazing victims in Union County and across Arkansas
⏳ Time is critical. Arkansas has a 3-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases. The sooner you act, the stronger your case will be.
🏆 Why Union County Families Choose Attorney 911
1️⃣ We’re Fighting This Battle Right Now
While other firms talk about hazing, we’re actively litigating a $10 million hazing case against Pi Kappa Phi and the University of Houston. We know the legal strategies, the defenses, and how to win.
2️⃣ Former Insurance Defense Attorneys—We Know Their Playbook
Both of our attorneys, Ralph Manginello and Lupe Pena, worked for insurance companies before switching sides. We know:
- How fraternities and universities try to minimize claims
- How insurance companies lowball victims
- How to dismantle their defenses
We’ve seen their playbook—and now we use it against them.
3️⃣ We Travel to Union County for Your Case
We’re based in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, but we serve hazing victims nationwide, including Union County. We will:
- Come to Union County for depositions, trials, and client meetings
- Offer video consultations for your convenience
- Fight for you as if you were family
4️⃣ Proven Results in High-Stakes Cases
Our firm has:
- Won millions for personal injury victims
- Handled complex litigation (including the BP Texas City explosion case)
- Secured multi-million-dollar settlements in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases
- Experience with federal court (critical for cases involving national fraternities)
5️⃣ We Speak Your Language—Literally
We have bilingual staff who can assist Spanish-speaking families in Union County. Se habla español.
📢 Our Message to Fraternities Operating Near Union County
To Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, and all other fraternities with Arkansas chapters:
We are watching.
The same legal strategies that secured $10 million settlements nationwide apply to your chapter.
If your members haze students in Union County, we will sue you.
- We will sue the national organization.
- We will sue the local chapter.
- We will sue the individual members.
- We will sue the university if they fail to protect students.
The Beta Nu chapter at University of Houston? Shut down after our lawsuit.
Your chapter could be next.
🎓 Universities Near Union County: The Warning Is Clear
To the University of Arkansas, Henderson State University, Southern Arkansas University, and all institutions near Union County:
The University of Houston owned the fraternity house where a student was waterboarded. They knew about prior hazing incidents and failed to act.
If your university:
- Owns or controls fraternity houses
- Has prior hazing incidents
- Fails to implement real oversight
You will be held accountable.
The time for “thoughts and prayers” is over. The time for accountability is now.
📞 Union County Families: Contact Us Today
If your child has been hazed, abused, or injured in Union County or anywhere in Arkansas, you don’t have to fight this alone.
📞 Call 1-888-ATTY-911 (24/7)
📧 Email: ralph@atty911.com
🌐 Visit: attorney911.com
Free consultation. No upfront costs. We don’t get paid unless you win.
Union County families: Enough is enough. It’s time to fight back.
