Hazing Victims in Anne Arundel County: Your Legal Rights & How to Fight Back
🚨 This Could Happen to Your Child in Anne Arundel County
In November 2025, Leonel Bermudez, a young man hoping to transfer to the University of Houston, was hospitalized for severe rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure after being hazed by the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. The abuse included:
- 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 run sprints
- Sleep deprivation and humiliation
This wasn’t just “tradition”—it was torture. And it could happen to your child at a university near Anne Arundel County.
The same fraternities that operate at UH—Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, and others—have active chapters at universities in and around Anne Arundel County. If your child is pledging Greek life, they face the same risks.
🏛️ Universities Near Anne Arundel County with Greek Life
Anne Arundel County is home to major universities and colleges where Greek life thrives. Some of the most prominent include:
📍 Nearby Universities with Active Greek Organizations
- United States Naval Academy (USNA) – Annapolis, MD (Military culture, but hazing still occurs in some units)
- University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) – College Park, MD (Large Greek system with documented hazing incidents)
- Towson University – Towson, MD (Greek life with past hazing violations)
- Johns Hopkins University – Baltimore, MD (Smaller Greek presence, but still active)
- Loyola University Maryland – Baltimore, MD (Greek organizations with hazing risks)
- Morgan State University – Baltimore, MD (Historically Black Greek organizations, but hazing still a concern)
- Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) – Arnold, MD (Smaller Greek presence, but not immune to hazing)
- Bowie State University – Bowie, MD (Greek life with hazing risks)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) – Catonsville, MD (Greek organizations present)
These institutions—and their Greek organizations—operate under the same national fraternities and sororities that have paid millions in hazing settlements nationwide.
⚖️ Legal Rights for Hazing Victims in Anne Arundel County
If your child has been hazed in Anne Arundel County, they have legal rights, and you can hold the responsible parties accountable—even if the incident happened outside Maryland.
1. Maryland Hazing Laws (Criminal & Civil Liability)
Maryland has strict anti-hazing laws under Education Article § 11-204 and Criminal Law § 3-607, which define hazing as:
“Any action or situation that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a student organization.”
Criminal Penalties in Maryland:
| Offense | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Hazing (Misdemeanor) | Up to 6 months in jail and/or $500 fine |
| Hazing Causing Serious Injury (Felony) | Up to 3 years in prison and/or $5,000 fine |
| Hazing Causing Death (Felony) | Up to 10 years in prison |
🔹 Consent is NOT a defense—even if your child agreed to participate, the organization can still be held liable.
Civil Liability (Lawsuits for Money Damages)
If your child was injured due to hazing, you can sue for:
- Medical expenses (hospital bills, therapy, future treatment)
- Pain and suffering (physical and emotional trauma)
- Lost wages (if they missed work or internships)
- Punitive damages (to punish the organization for reckless conduct)
- Wrongful death (if hazing led to a fatality)
💰 Precedent Cases Show Hazing Lawsuits Win Millions:
| Case | Fraternity | University | Settlement/Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Foltz (2021) | Pi Kappa Alpha | Bowling Green State | $10.1 million |
| Maxwell Gruver (2017) | Phi Delta Theta | Louisiana State | $6.1 million jury verdict |
| Timothy Piazza (2017) | Beta Theta Pi | Penn State | $110+ million (estimated) |
| Andrew Coffey (2017) | Pi Kappa Phi | Florida State | Confidential settlement |
2. Who Can Be Sued in a Hazing Case?
Hazing cases often involve multiple defendants, all of whom can be held liable:
| Defendant | Why They’re Liable |
|---|---|
| Local Chapter | Directly organized and conducted hazing |
| National Fraternity/Sorority | Failed to supervise; knew about hazing risks |
| University/College | Failed to prevent hazing despite knowing about it |
| Chapter Officers (President, Pledgemaster, etc.) | Directed or allowed hazing to occur |
| Individual Members | Participated in or witnessed hazing and did nothing |
| Housing Corporation | Owned the property where hazing occurred |
| Alumni Advisors | Knew about hazing and failed to stop it |
🔹 Example: In the Bermudez case, we sued Pi Kappa Phi National, the UH chapter, the University of Houston, and individual members—including a former member who hosted hazing at their home.
3. What Should You Do If Your Child Was Hazed in Anne Arundel County?
🚨 Step 1: Seek Medical Attention Immediately
- Rhabdomyolysis, alcohol poisoning, and other hazing injuries can be life-threatening.
- Document all injuries (photos, medical records, hospital bills).
- Get a full medical evaluation—some injuries (like brain trauma or kidney damage) may not appear immediately.
📱 Step 2: Preserve All Evidence
- Save all texts, GroupMe messages, Snapchats, and social media posts about hazing.
- Take screenshots of any threatening or incriminating messages.
- Document the names of witnesses (other pledges, members, bystanders).
- Keep any physical evidence (paddles, clothing, alcohol containers).
⚠️ DO NOT:
❌ Delete any messages or posts
❌ Confront the fraternity/sorority without legal counsel
❌ Sign anything from the organization or university
❌ Post about the incident on social media
📞 Step 3: Contact a Hazing Lawyer Immediately
- Maryland has a 3-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims, but evidence disappears fast—act now.
- We offer FREE consultations and work on contingency—you pay nothing upfront, and we only get paid if we win your case.
- Call us 24/7 at 1-888-ATTY-911 or email ralph@atty911.com.
📝 Step 4: Report the Hazing to Authorities
- File a police report (hazing is a crime in Maryland).
- Report to the university’s Title IX office (if sexual harassment or assault was involved).
- File a complaint with the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) if the university failed to act.
🛡️ Why Choose Attorney 911 for Your Anne Arundel County Hazing Case?
We are nationwide hazing litigation experts currently fighting a $10 million lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi and the University of Houston for the same kind of abuse that happens at universities near Anne Arundel County.
✅ Our Experience & Advantages for Anne Arundel County Families
| Advantage | How It Helps Your Case |
|---|---|
| Former Insurance Defense Attorneys | We know how insurance companies try to deny claims—we’ve worked for them, and now we fight against them. |
| Federal Court Authority | We can sue national fraternities in federal court, no matter where the hazing occurred. |
| Dual-State Licensed (TX & NY) | Strategic advantage for cases involving out-of-state defendants (like national fraternities). |
| $10 Million Hazing Lawsuit Pending | We’re actively litigating a hazing case right now—we know how to win. |
| Aggressive Trial Lawyers | We don’t back down from insurance companies or powerful institutions. |
| Bilingual (Se Habla Español) | We serve Spanish-speaking families in Anne Arundel County without language barriers. |
| Contingency Fee (No Upfront Costs) | You pay nothing unless we win your case. |
| Willing to Travel to Anne Arundel County | We’ll come to you for depositions, meetings, and court appearances. |
🏆 Our Track Record in Hazing & Personal Injury Cases
- $10 million lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi and UH (pending)
- Multi-million dollar settlements in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases
- BP Texas City explosion litigation (mass tort experience)
- Hundreds of successful personal injury cases (car accidents, trucking accidents, workplace injuries)
- 4.9-star Google rating (250+ reviews from satisfied clients)
📞 What to Do Next: Free Consultation for Anne Arundel County Families
If your child has been hazed in Anne Arundel County or at any university in Maryland, you have legal options. We can help you:
✔ Hold the fraternity, university, and individuals accountable
✔ Recover compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages
✔ Prevent this from happening to another student
🚨 Call Us Now for a Free, Confidential Case Review
📞 1-888-ATTY-911 (24/7)
📧 ralph@atty911.com
🌐 attorney911.com
We work on contingency—you pay nothing unless we win.
🔥 A Message to Fraternities & Universities in Anne Arundel County
To Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta, and all other Greek organizations operating near Anne Arundel County:
“We are watching. We are coming for you. The same legal strategies that secured $10+ million verdicts nationwide apply to your chapter. If you haze students in Anne Arundel County, we will pursue every liable entity—your national organization, your local chapter, your officers, and your university. We already shut down the Beta Nu chapter at UH. Your chapter could be next.”
To the University of Maryland, Towson University, Johns Hopkins, and all other institutions near Anne Arundel County:
“The same institutional negligence that made University of Houston a defendant exists at your campus. Act now—or face the same accountability.”
📢 Final Warning to Anne Arundel County Families
Hazing doesn’t stop at state lines. The same fraternities that waterboarded our client in Houston have chapters at universities near Anne Arundel County. The same universities that failed to protect students in Texas are failing students in Maryland.
If your child has been hazed—whether at UMD, Towson, Johns Hopkins, or any other school near Anne Arundel County—you have the power to fight back.
Call us now before it’s too late.
📞 1-888-ATTY-911
📧 ralph@atty911.com
🌐 attorney911.com
We are Attorney 911. We fight for hazing victims in Anne Arundel County—and we win.