A Message to Families in Baird, Texas About Hazing & Student Safety

For parents in Baird, Cross Plains, Clyde, and across Callahan County, there is no greater fear than the one that grips your heart when the phone rings with news that your child is hurt at college. You trusted the university, you trusted the organization, and you believed promises of safety and belonging. Right now, as we speak, our firm is fighting for a young man and his family who learned a devastating truth: that trust can be betrayed in the most violent and degrading ways, not somewhere far away, but at a major Texas university. This comprehensive guide is written for you—the families of Baird, Texas—to understand the reality of hazing in 2025, to know your legal rights under Texas law, and to see the path to accountability, using the very tools and cases we are deploying today.

The Nightmare in Your Backyard: A Current Texas Hazing Case

Before we explain anything else, you deserve to know what is happening right now in our state. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a former pledge of the Pi Kappa Phi (Beta Nu Chapter) at the University of Houston. His story, detailed in recent reports from Click2Houston and ABC13, is the stark proof that extreme hazing is not a relic of the past. It is a present, active danger on Texas campuses.

During his fall 2025 pledge period, Leonel was subjected to rituals that defy belief: forced to carry a humiliating “pledge fanny pack” 24/7, sprayed in the face with a hose in a manner “similar to waterboarding,” hog-tied face-down on a table, and compelled to overconsume milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, only to be forced into immediate sprints. The breaking point came on November 3, 2025, when he was forced through over 100 push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion.

The result was a medical catastrophe. Leonel developed rhabdomyolysis—a severe skeletal muscle breakdown—and acute kidney failure. His urine turned brown, he could not stand, and he was hospitalized for four days with critically elevated creatine kinase levels. He faces an ongoing risk of permanent kidney damage. This did not happen in a vacuum. The lawsuit names the University of Houston, the UH System Board of Regents, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters, its housing corporation, and 13 individual fraternity leaders as defendants.

By November 14, 2025, the chapter had voted to surrender its charter, and UH called the conduct “deeply disturbing.” This is not a historical case study; it is our active, ongoing litigation. We share this not to shock, but to show Baird families the concrete, high-stakes reality of what we fight every day. If this can happen at UH, it can and does happen wherever there is a power imbalance, secrecy, and a disregard for student safety.

Hazing in 2025: What It Really Looks Like for Texas Students

For parents in Baird whose children may be at Texas A&M, Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, or any other campus, understanding modern hazing is critical. It has evolved far beyond stereotypical “pranks.” Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of joining or maintaining status in a group. In Texas, “consent” is not a defense.

Today’s hazing manifests in layered ways:

1. Digital Control & Coercion:

• 24/7 Group Chat Surveillance: Pledges are required to respond instantly to messages at all hours, leading to sleep deprivation and constant anxiety.
• Social Media Humiliation: Forced to post embarrassing content on TikTok or Instagram as a “challenge.”
• Location Tracking: Mandated use of apps like Find My Friends, creating a panopticon of control.

2. Disguised Abuse:

• “Optional” workouts that are physically punishing and mandatory in practice.
• “Team-building” retreats at off-campus Airbnbs where the worst abuses occur away from university oversight.
• “Tradition” used as a blanket justification for degrading acts.

3. The Enduring Core of Physical & Psychological Abuse:

• Alcohol Hazing: Forced consumption games like “Big/Little,” “Century Club,” or “Bible Study,” where wrong answers mean drinking.
• Physical Torture: Paddling, “smokings” (extreme calisthenics), exposure to extreme cold, sleep deprivation, and food restriction.
• Sexualized & Humiliating Acts: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, degrading costumes, and racist or sexist role-playing.

This abuse doesn’t just happen in fraternities. We see it in sororities, the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, athletic teams, spirit groups like the Texas Cowboys, and marching bands. The common thread is a dynamic of power, secrecy, and the exploitation of a young person’s desire to belong.

Texas Hazing Law & Legal Liability: A Framework for Baird Families

Texas has some of the nation’s most clearly defined hazing statutes, found in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F. Understanding this framework is your first step toward accountability.

The Criminal Law (What the State Can Do):

• Definition (§37.151): Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, on or off campus, that endangers a student’s physical or mental health for purposes of initiation or affiliation.
• 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.
• Key Protections:
  • No Consent Defense (§37.155): A victim’s “agreement” is irrelevant under the law.
  • Immunity for Reporters (§37.154): Those who report hazing in good faith are protected from liability.

The Civil Law (What Your Family Can Do):
A civil lawsuit seeks compensation and accountability from every responsible party. Liability is not limited to the individual who swung the paddle or poured the drink. We build cases against a full “defendant universe”:

1. The Individual Perpetrators: The members who planned, executed, or supervised the abuse.
2. The Local Chapter: The organized entity that fostered the culture.
3. The National Organization: Fraternity/sorority headquarters that collect dues, set (and often fail to enforce) policies, and have known about dangerous patterns for years.
4. The University: For negligent supervision, deliberate indifference to known risks, or Title IX violations. Public universities (like Texas A&M, UT) have sovereign immunity challenges, but exceptions exist for gross negligence.
5. Housing Corporations & Landlords: Entities that own or control the properties where hazing occurs.
6. Insurers: The deep-pocketed companies that provide coverage to these organizations.

The National Playbook of Tragedy: Patterns that Repeat in Texas

The hazing that injured Leonel Bermudez at UH is not unique. It follows a national playbook written in tragedy. These cases matter to Baird families because they establish legal precedents, reveal institutional knowledge, and show the catastrophic outcomes we fight to prevent.

• The Forced Drinking Death Pattern: Stone Foltz (Bowling Green, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021), Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi, 2017), Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017), and Andrew Coffey (FSU, Pi Kappa Phi, 2017) all died from alcohol poisoning during “bid acceptance” or “Big/Little” events. Settlements and verdicts have ranged from $6.1 million to over $14 million.
• The Physical Ritual Pattern: Chun “Michael” Deng (Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi, 2013) died from brain injuries during a blindfolded “glass ceiling” ritual at a retreat. The national fraternity was criminally convicted.
• The Catastrophic Injury Pattern: Danny Santulli (Univ. of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta, 2021) suffered permanent brain damage from forced drinking. His family secured multi-million-dollar settlements from 22 defendants.
• The Athletic Hazing Pattern: The Northwestern University football scandal (2023-2025) involved alleged sexualized and racist hazing, leading to confidential settlements and coach termination, proving no program is immune.

These are not abstract stories. The same national fraternities involved in these deaths—Pi Kappa Alpha, Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE)—have active chapters at Texas A&M, UT Austin, UH, SMU, and Baylor. When a chapter at UT or A&M engages in forced drinking, the national organization cannot claim it was “unforeseeable.” That pattern evidence is the bedrock of negligence claims.

The Texas Campus Landscape: Where Baird Families Send Their Kids

Baird families are part of the great Texas educational network. Your students may attend local institutions like Cisco College or venture to major universities across the state. Wherever they are, you must know the specific landscape of risk and accountability.

Public Records Directory: The Greek Organizations Serving Texas Students

As part of our investigative Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, we maintain data on the extensive network of Greek organizations in Texas. This is not an accusation, but a demonstration of the complex ecosystem behind the letters. For example, IRS and public records show entities like:

• KAPPA SIGMA – MU CAMMA CHAPTER INC (EIN: 133048786) | 3007 EARL RUDDER FWY S, COLLEGE STATION, TX 77845
• BETA NU PI KAPPA PHI FRATERNITY HOUSING CORPORATION INC (EIN: 462267515) | 10601 BIG HORN TRL, FRISCO, TX 75035
• SIGMA CHI FRATERNITY EPSILON XI CHAPTER (EIN: 746084905) | 4300 MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVD, HOUSTON, TX 77204
• TEXAS RHO CHAPTER OF THE SIGMA PHI EPSILON FRATERNITY (EIN: 741942292) | 3217 S 3RD ST, WACO, TX 76706
• HONOR SOCIETY OF PHI KAPPA PHI (EIN: 900293166) | 114 HENDERSON HALL 4233 TAMU, COLLEGE STATION, TX 77843 (Texas A&M University Chapter)

Across the state, our data tracks over 1,400 Greek-related entities in 25 metro areas, including 188 in the Houston metro and 154 in the Austin metro. This directory allows us to immediately identify every potentially liable entity in a hazing case, from the local house corporation to the alumni foundation.

University-Specific Realities

1. Texas A&M University & The Corps of Cadets
For families in Baird and the Abilene metro, Texas A&M is a prime destination. Its culture is defined by both a massive Greek system and the storied Corps of Cadets.

• Recent History: A&M has faced serious lawsuits, including a Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) case where pledges alleged being doused in industrial-strength cleaner, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts. In the Corps of Cadets, a lawsuit alleged cadets were bound in a “roasted pig” position with an apple in their mouth as part of degrading hazing.
• The Greek System: A&M’s IFC and Panhellenic communities are among the largest in the nation, with chapters of virtually every major national fraternity and sorority with documented hazing histories.
• Takeaway for Baird Families: The combination of potent Greek life and the intense, tradition-driven Corps culture requires heightened vigilance. Hazing here can be disguised as “conditioning” or “military discipline.”

2. Abilene’s Universities (Hardin-Simmons, Abilene Christian, McMurry)
Closer to home, the campuses in Abilene host their own Greek communities. While smaller, they are not without risk. National organizations with troubled histories have chapters here, and the insular nature of smaller campuses can increase pressure and secrecy.

3. The University of Texas at Austin
UT Austin sets a standard for transparency with its public Hazing Violations webpage. This log is a treasure trove for families, showing patterns.

• Documented Cases: The log includes incidents like Pi Kappa Alpha (2023) for forcing new members to consume milk and perform strenuous calisthenics, and other groups for forced drinking and humiliating acts.
• Significance: This public record means UT often has “notice” of problems. If an organization is on probation for hazing and re-offends, the university’s liability for failing to act increases dramatically.

4. Baylor University & Southern Methodist University
These private, historically Greek-centric schools have their own challenges. Baylor has faced public hazing incidents within its baseball program, leading to suspensions. SMU has disciplined chapters like Kappa Alpha Order for paddling and forced drinking. The private status of these schools affects transparency but not liability.

5. The University of Houston
As the home of our flagship Bermudez case, UH is ground zero for the current fight. The rapid closure of Pi Kappa Phi’s chapter shows institutional response, but the lawsuit alleges the university and national org should have acted sooner to prevent the systemic abuse.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages

When a family from Baird contacts us, we immediately initiate a strategic, evidence-driven process. This is not about filing a simple claim; it’s about constructing an unassailable case for accountability.

Phase 1: The 48-Hour Evidence Blitz
Evidence vanishes at digital speed. Our first step is guiding families to preserve:

• Digital Evidence: Screenshots of ALL group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), social media posts, photos, and videos. We use digital forensics to recover deleted messages.
• Medical Evidence: Complete records from ER visits, detailing the cause (e.g., “patient reports forced drinking at fraternity event”).
• Physical Evidence: Clothing, props, receipts for alcohol purchases.
• Witness List: Names and contact information for other pledges, roommates, RAs.

We have a video guide on using your phone to document evidence that every parent should watch.

Phase 2: Investigating the Institutional Web
Using our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, we map the entire ecosystem:

1. Identify the local chapter and its officers.
2. Subpoena the national organization’s records for prior incident reports, risk management files, and communications about this chapter.
3. Obtain the university’s conduct file on the organization through discovery or public records requests.
4. Identify all insurance policies held by the chapter, national, and housing corporation.

Phase 3: Proving Damages
Hazing causes profound, lasting harm. We work with experts to quantify:

• Economic Damages: All medical bills (emergency care, surgery, therapy), future medical care, lost educational opportunity, and diminished future earning capacity if injuries are permanent.
• Non-Economic Damages: Pain and suffering, emotional distress (PTSD, depression, anxiety), humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages: In the worst cases, we seek compensation for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and the family’s grief.

Phase 4: Overcoming Defense Tactics
We anticipate and counteract every defense:

• “They Consented”: We cite Texas law §37.155 and use evidence of coercion and power imbalance.
• “It Was Off-Campus”: We prove the university and national org still had duty and control.
• “It Was a Rogue Chapter”: We show national’s pattern of knowledge and inadequate enforcement.
• “Insurance Doesn’t Cover This”: Our co-founder, Mr. Lupe Peña, uses his insider experience as a former insurance defense attorney to fight coverage exclusions and bad faith denials.

Critical Guidance for Baird Parents & Students

If You Suspect Hazing:

1. Talk Calmly with Your Child: Ask open-ended questions. “Are you ever asked to do things that make you uncomfortable to stay in the group?”
2. Look for Signs: Unexplained injuries, extreme fatigue, sudden personality changes, secrecy around phone use, anxiety about missing “mandatory” events, and unexplained financial charges.
3. Trust Your Instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is.

If Hazing Has Occurred — ACT NOW:

1. Prioritize Safety & Health: Seek medical attention immediately. Err on the side of caution.
2. Preserve Evidence: Follow our evidence checklist. Do not let your child delete anything.
3. Document Everything: Write down a timeline with names, dates, locations, and what happened.
4. Report Strategically: You can report to campus police, the Dean of Students, and local police. Consider consulting with us first to understand the implications.
5. Contact an Attorney Before: Speaking with university investigators alone, signing any agreements with the school or fraternity, or posting on social media.

Critical Mistakes That Can Ruin a Case:
We detail these in our video on client mistakes that can ruin your injury case. They include: deleting evidence, confronting the fraternity directly, signing university settlement offers without review, posting on social media, and waiting too long. In Texas, the statute of limitations is generally two years, but evidence decays in days. Learn more about timelines in our video on the Texas statute of limitations.

Why Baird Families Choose Attorney911 for Hazing Cases

When your family is facing a hazing crisis, you need more than a generic personal injury firm. You need a team with specific, proven expertise in taking on powerful institutions and winning. Here is what we bring to your case:

1. Active, High-Stakes Hazing Litigation Experience:
We are not theorists. We are the attorneys leading the Leonel Bermudez v. UH & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit right now. We know the current tactics of national fraternities and university defense counsels because we are in the fight.

2. The Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine:
While other firms start from zero, we begin with a data advantage. Our proprietary database of Texas Greek organizations, built from IRS filings, university rosters, and public records, allows us to immediately identify every potentially liable entity, their insurers, and their histories.

3. Insider Insurance Knowledge (Mr. Lupe Peña):
Mr. Peña spent years as an insurance defense attorney for a national firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers undervalue claims, use delay tactics, and argue coverage exclusions. We know their playbook because we used to help write it.

4. Billion-Dollar Defendant Experience (Ralph Manginello):
Our founder, Ralph Manginello, is one of the few Texas attorneys who was involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We have faced down the deepest pockets and most aggressive defense teams. National fraternities and major universities do not intimidate us.

5. Full-Spectrum Capability:

• Civil & Criminal Understanding: Ralph’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand the interplay between criminal hazing charges and civil lawsuits.
• Expert Network: We work with leading medical experts, psychologists specializing in trauma, forensic economists, and digital recovery specialists.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña is fluent in Spanish, ensuring we can serve all Texas families with compassion and clarity.

We operate on a contingency fee basis—you pay nothing unless we win your case. Watch our video explaining how contingency fees work.

Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation

If you are a parent in Baird, Callahan County, or anywhere in Texas, and you believe your child has been victimized by hazing, you are not alone. The path from trauma to accountability begins with a single conversation.

We invite you to contact us for a free, completely confidential, no-obligation consultation. In this meeting, we will:

• Listen carefully to your story.
• Review any evidence you have.
• Explain your legal rights and options under Texas law.
• Outline the potential strategies for your specific situation.
• Answer all your questions about the process, timeline, and what to expect.

You are not hiring us by having this conversation. You are gathering the information you need to make the best decision for your family. The call is protected by attorney-client confidentiality.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911 Today:

• 24/7 Hazing Case Line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
• Direct: (713) 528-9070
• Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com (Se habla Español)
• Website: https://attorney911.com

From our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, we serve hazing victims and their families across Texas, including those right here in Baird and throughout the Abilene region. Let us help you turn this crisis into a fight for justice, accountability, and the safety of future students.

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is fact-specific. Please contact Attorney911 or another qualified attorney to discuss the particular details of your situation. The information is current as of late 2025.