A Special Message for Families in the Aleutians East Borough: Understanding Hazing and Your Rights
For generations, families in the Aleutians East Borough have been defined by resilience, strength, and a deep connection to community. You weather some of the world’s most challenging conditions, supporting each other across the vast and beautiful landscape of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. This strength is tested in new ways when your children leave to pursue higher education in the Lower 48. The pride you feel as they embark on this journey can quickly turn to confusion, fear, and anger if they become victims of a dangerous tradition that thrives far from home: hazing.
Right now, in Houston, Texas, our firm, Attorney911, is actively litigating one of the most serious hazing cases in the country. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who was hazed by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. The allegations include forced consumption of food until vomiting, extreme physical workouts, sleep deprivation, humiliation with a “pledge fanny pack,” and being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding.” This abuse led to rhabdomyolysis—severe muscle breakdown—and acute kidney failure. He was hospitalized for four days and faces ongoing health risks. This $10 million lawsuit names the university, the national fraternity, and 13 individual members. You can read the detailed coverage in the Click2Houston report and ABC13 coverage.
We share this not because it happened in Alaska, but to show you the level of abuse that exists, the catastrophic injuries that can result, and the serious legal fight required to hold institutions accountable. If your child has been hurt while pledging a fraternity, sorority, athletic team, Corps program, or other campus group—whether at a school in Washington, Oregon, or anywhere in the United States—you are not alone. The same national organizations, the same institutional cover-ups, and the same fight for justice exist everywhere.
This guide is for you, the parents and families of the Aleutians East Borough. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, the legal frameworks that can help you, and the practical steps to protect your child and hold the right people accountable.
If you are in crisis right now:
- Call 911 for any medical emergency.
- Then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911. We provide immediate help. That’s why we are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.
- In the first 48 hours: Get medical attention. Preserve evidence—screenshot group chats and photograph injuries immediately. Write down everything. Do not confront the organization, sign anything from a university, or let your child delete messages.
Hazing in the Modern Era: Beyond Stereotypes
Hazing is not just “boys being boys” or harmless tradition. It is a calculated pattern of abuse that uses power, secrecy, and peer pressure to break down new members. For families in tight-knit communities like yours, the sudden secrecy and change in your child can be particularly alarming.
Modern hazing often falls into clear categories:
- Alcohol & Substance Hazing: The most common and deadly. This includes forced chugging, drinking games with punitive rules, or coerced consumption of drugs.
- Physical Hazing: Paddling, beatings, “smokings” (extreme calisthenics), sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme elements, or dangerous physical challenges.
- Psychological & Humiliating Hazing: Verbal abuse, isolation from family and friends, forced wearing of degrading costumes, public shaming, or acts designed to provoke intense fear or shame.
- Sexualized Hazing: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, or sexual assault under the guise of “initiation.”
- Digital Hazing: 24/7 control via group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp), forced posting of humiliating content on social media, or cyberstalking via location-sharing apps.
The location doesn’t matter—it happens in chapter houses, rented cabins, remote retreats, and athletic facilities. The culture of silence is universal. A student may believe they “consented” or that enduring the abuse is the only way to gain belonging, but under the law, consent is not a defense to this kind of coercion.
The Legal Landscape: Your Child’s Rights
Hazing laws vary by state. Alaska has its own statutes that criminalize hazing and provide a basis for civil lawsuits. Furthermore, federal laws apply on every campus that receives federal funding:
- The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024): Requires colleges to be more transparent about hazing incidents and improve prevention programs.
- Title IX: If hazing involves sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, the university has specific legal obligations to respond.
- The Clery Act: Requires universities to report certain crimes, including some hazing-related assaults.
In a civil lawsuit, which seeks compensation and accountability, many parties can be held responsible:
- The individuals who planned and carried out the acts.
- The local chapter as an organization.
- The national fraternity or sorority headquarters that often has deep pockets and a history of similar incidents.
- The university or college for negligent supervision or deliberate indifference to a known risk.
- Third parties like property owners or alcohol providers.
National Lessons for Alaskan Families
The case patterns are distressingly consistent nationwide. Understanding them shows this is not an isolated “mistake” but a systemic failure.
- Alcohol Poisoning Deaths: The deaths of Timothy Piazza (Penn State), Max Gruver (LSU), Andrew Coffey (FSU), and Stone Foltz (Bowling Green) all followed the same script: forced, rapid alcohol consumption during pledge events, followed by delayed medical care.
- Physical Ritual Deaths: Chun “Michael” Deng (Baruch College) died from traumatic brain injury after a blindfolded “glass ceiling” ritual at a fraternity retreat.
- Catastrophic Injuries: Danny Santulli (University of Missouri) suffered permanent brain damage from forced drinking. At Texas A&M, Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledges suffered severe chemical burns from an industrial cleaner poured on them.
These cases resulted in multi-million dollar settlements, felony convictions, and new state laws. They prove that institutions can and will be held accountable. The national fraternity named in your child’s case likely has a similar history. For example, the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity involved in our Houston case was also responsible for the death of Andrew Coffey at Florida State University in 2017.
Where Aleutians East Borough Students Study: A Focus on Real Risk
While your children may attend schools across the country, many from Alaska choose universities in the Pacific Northwest and the West Coast with robust Greek life and athletic traditions. The patterns of risk are similar everywhere.
Major Universities Attended by Alaskan Students:
- University of Alaska System (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Southeast): While smaller, Greek life and campus clubs exist and are not immune to hazing risks.
- Pacific Northwest & West Coast Schools: Universities in Washington (UW, WSU), Oregon (UO, OSU), and California have all faced high-profile hazing scandals in fraternities, sororities, and athletic teams.
- National Greek Life Hubs: Many students attend large state schools in the Midwest, South, and East where Greek life is prominent—the very schools where the national cases mentioned above occurred.
The specific university matters less than the type of organization. A Pi Kappa Phi chapter at the University of Washington operates under the same national policies and insurance as the shuttered chapter at the University of Houston. A hockey team at a university in Colorado can harbor the same toxic “team bonding” rituals as a football team at Northwestern. The geographic distance from home can make a student feel more isolated and less likely to report abuse.
The National Organizations Behind the Letters
When your child is hazed, you are not just up against a group of college students. You are facing a national organization with a legal structure, insurance policies, and defense lawyers. Their history is critical.
Organizations like Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike), Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), Phi Delta Theta, and Pi Kappa Phi have been involved in fatal and severe-injury hazing incidents repeatedly, across multiple states. This establishes foreseeability—they knew or should have known their chapters were at high risk for this exact conduct. In court, we use their own internal incident reports, training manuals, and prior settlement documents to show they failed to take adequate steps to prevent it.
Building a Serious Case: Evidence is Everything
The remote and close-knit nature of your community teaches the value of self-reliance, but in a legal fight against national institutions, you need a team with specific expertise. Building a winning case requires immediate and strategic action.
Critical evidence includes:
- Digital Evidence: Group chats, texts, and social media messages are the modern paper trail. They show planning, boasting, and cover-ups. Preserve screenshots immediately. Our video on using your phone to document evidence is a crucial resource.
- Medical Records: Document everything. Emergency room reports that note “forced drinking” or “hazing” are powerful. Follow-up care for physical or psychological trauma (PTSD, anxiety, depression) is essential.
- Witnesses: Other pledges, roommates, or former members are often key. They may be afraid, but an experienced legal team can secure their testimony.
- Organizational Records: Through the legal discovery process, we can subpoena the national fraternity’s records on that chapter’s prior violations and the university’s disciplinary history.
Damages in a hazing case can include:
- All past and future medical expenses.
- Lost educational opportunities and future earning capacity.
- Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and psychological trauma.
- In wrongful death cases, funeral costs and loss of companionship for the family.
A Practical Guide for Aleutians East Borough Parents & Students
For Parents: Warning Signs
- Unexplained injuries or sudden, frequent “accidents.”
- Extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, or drastic weight change.
- Becoming secretive, withdrawn, or anxious, especially about their phone.
- A sudden drop in grades or loss of interest in academics.
- Constant, stressful communication via group chats at all hours.
What to Do If You Suspect Hazing:
- Talk calmly and supportively. Assure your child their safety comes before any group.
- Seek medical care for any injury or psychological distress.
- Document everything. Write down what they tell you. Save all communications.
- Contact an experienced hazing attorney before reporting. We can help you navigate the process to avoid retaliation and preserve evidence. Universities often prioritize their reputation over your child’s wellbeing.
For Students:
- Trust your gut. If it feels abusive, coercive, or dangerous, it is hazing.
- You have the right to leave any situation. Your safety is paramount.
- Call 911 without fear. Most states and schools have “Good Samaritan” or medical amnesty policies to protect those who call for help.
- Preserve evidence. Take screenshots. Photograph injuries. Tell a trusted adult.
Critical Mistakes to Avoid:
- Deleting evidence to “protect” the chapter or friends.
- Confronting the organization directly, which triggers evidence destruction.
- Signing anything from a university or insurance adjuster without an attorney.
- Waiting for the school to “handle it internally.” The clock is ticking on the statute of limitations. Learn more about these deadlines in our video on Texas statutes of limitation.
Why Attorney911 for Your Family’s Hazing Case
We are a Texas-based firm, but the hazing institutions your family faces operate identically nationwide. We bring a unique combination of skills proven in the most complex institutional fights:
- Active, High-Stakes Hazing Litigation: We are not theorists. We are currently fighting the Leonel Bermudez vs. University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi case. We know exactly how national fraternities and universities defend these claims right now.
- Insider Insurance Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense lawyer for large companies. He knows how fraternity and university insurers undervalue claims, fight coverage, and use delay tactics. We know their playbook because we used to run it. Learn more about Mr. Peña’s background on his profile page.
- Experience Against Goliaths: Managing Partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We have no fear taking on billion-dollar institutions, deep-pocketed nationals, or prestigious universities. See Ralph’s experience on his bio page.
- Data-Driven Investigation: For Texas cases, we maintain a proprietary “Hazing Intelligence Engine” with thousands of data points on Greek organizations. This mindset—of leaving no stone unturned—is how we investigate every case, uncovering prior incidents and hidden liability.
- Full-Spectrum Advocacy: With Ralph’s background in criminal defense (Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association) and our civil litigation expertise, we can navigate cases that may involve both criminal charges and civil lawsuits, advising clients at every step.
- A Mission for Accountability: We seek compensation to heal our clients, but we also fight to expose the truth and force change to protect the next student from harm.
You Are Not Alone: Contact Us Today
To the families of the Aleutians East Borough—from Sand Point to King Cove, Akutan to Cold Bay—the strength of your community is your foundation. When an institution far from home threatens your child, you need that same strength, backed by experienced legal advocates.
If hazing has impacted your family, do not face this challenge in isolation. The same organizations that harm students in Texas, Pennsylvania, or Louisiana are the ones your child may encounter. We have the proven expertise to help you from wherever you are.
Contact us for a free, confidential, and no-obligation consultation. We will listen to your story, explain your legal options clearly and honestly, and help you decide the best path forward for your family’s healing and justice.
Call Attorney911 24/7: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Visit: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com | lupe@atty911.com
Se habla Español. Services available in Spanish.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. Each case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. Hazing laws vary by state. If you believe your child has been hazed, we strongly urge you to consult promptly with an attorney licensed in your state to understand your rights and options.
The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) | Legal Emergency Lawyers™
Offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas | Serving Clients Nationwide
