🛡️ Hazing Victims in Bibb County, Alabama — Legal Rights & Justice
Attorney 911 — Serving Bibb County Hazing Victims from Houston, Austin & Beaumont
If your child was hazed in Bibb County, we will fight for you — 24/7 free consultation: 1-888-ATTY-911
🚨 The Hazing Crisis Has Come to Bibb County
Bibb County parents send their children to college expecting them to be safe. They trust universities and Greek organizations to provide positive experiences. But hazing is happening at institutions near Bibb County, and it’s not what you think.
When we hear “hazing,” we imagine harmless pranks or silly rituals. The reality is far darker. Hazing near Bibb County includes:
- Waterboarding — simulated drowning with hoses
- Forced eating — consuming milk, hot dogs, or peppercorns until vomiting
- Extreme physical punishment — 500 squats, 100 pushups, bear crawls until collapse
- Wooden paddles — beating students with weapons
- Sleep deprivation — forced to drive fraternity members at all hours
- Psychological torture — humiliation, threats of expulsion, carrying sexual objects
- Hospitalization — rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown), kidney failure, traumatic brain injury
- Death — alcohol poisoning, falls, cardiac arrest
This isn’t tradition. This is abuse. And it’s happening near Bibb County.
⚠️ The Landmark Case That Shows Bibb County Families What’s Possible
Bermudez v. Pi Kappa Phi — The $10 Million Fight for Justice
What happened in Houston could happen in Bibb County.
In November 2025, our attorneys filed a $10 million lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and the University of Houston for hazing that hospitalized a young man with severe rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure. The victim, Leonel Bermudez, wasn’t even a student at UH yet — he was a “ghost rush,” a prospective member expected to transfer.
The hazing he endured:
- Waterboarded with a garden hose — simulated drowning, a form of torture
- Forced to do 500 squats and 100 pushups until he couldn’t stand
- Beaten with wooden paddles
- Forced to eat until vomiting, then made to lie in vomit-soaked grass
- Threatened with expulsion if he didn’t comply
- Another pledge collapsed and lost consciousness during the same pledge period
- Hospitalized for 4 days with kidney failure
The defendants we’re pursuing:
- Pi Kappa Phi National Organization
- The local UH chapter
- The fraternity housing corporation
- The University of Houston — they owned the fraternity house where torture occurred
- Individual fraternity members and officers
Why this matters to Bibb County families:
- Pi Kappa Phi has 150+ chapters nationwide — including near Bibb County
- The same national fraternities operate at universities near Bibb County
- Universities near Bibb County have the same oversight failures as UH
- If your child is being hazed, we will fight for you with the same aggression
We are currently litigating this case. The same legal strategies apply to Bibb County victims.
📍 Hazing Near Bibb County — The Institutions You Need to Know
Bibb County is home to hardworking families who value education, community, and safety. But hazing is happening at colleges and universities within driving distance of Bibb County, including:
Major Universities Near Bibb County with Greek Life:
| Institution | Location | Distance from Bibb County | Greek Life Presence |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | ~45 miles | Strong Greek system with multiple fraternities and sororities |
| Auburn University | Auburn, AL | ~100 miles | Large Greek community with documented hazing incidents |
| Samford University | Birmingham, AL | ~50 miles | Active Greek life, private university |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo, AL | ~30 miles | Smaller Greek system, but hazing still occurs |
| Birmingham-Southern College | Birmingham, AL | ~50 miles | Greek organizations present |
| Miles College | Fairfield, AL | ~55 miles | Historically Black college with Greek life |
| Stillman College | Tuscaloosa, AL | ~45 miles | Greek organizations active |
The same national fraternities involved in the UH case have chapters near Bibb County, including:
- Pi Kappa Phi
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE)
- Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike)
- Phi Delta Theta
- Beta Theta Pi
- Kappa Sigma
- Sigma Chi
- And many others
If your child is pledging a fraternity or sorority near Bibb County, they face the same risks that hospitalized our client in Houston.
⚖️ Your Legal Rights as a Bibb County Hazing Victim
Alabama Hazing Laws — What You Need to Know
Alabama has strong anti-hazing laws designed to protect students. Under Alabama Code § 16-1-23, hazing is defined as:
Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation or admission into, affiliation with, or continued membership in any organization.
This includes:
- Physical brutality (beating, paddling, branding)
- Forced consumption of food, alcohol, or drugs
- Sleep deprivation
- Exposure to extreme weather
- Extreme physical exercise
- Psychological abuse or humiliation
- Any activity that creates a substantial risk of harm
Criminal Penalties in Alabama:
| Offense Level | Conduct | Punishment |
|---|---|---|
| Class C Misdemeanor | Hazing that doesn’t cause serious injury | Up to 3 months jail; up to $500 fine |
| Class B Misdemeanor | Hazing that causes serious physical injury | Up to 6 months jail; up to $3,000 fine |
| Class A Misdemeanor | Hazing that involves forcible compulsion (coercion) | Up to 1 year jail; up to $6,000 fine |
| Class C Felony | Hazing that causes death | 1-10 years prison; up to $15,000 fine |
Important: Consent is NOT a defense in Alabama.
“It is not a defense to prosecution that the victim consented to the hazing.” — Alabama Code § 16-1-23
This means fraternities cannot argue that your child “agreed” to participate. Hazing is illegal regardless of consent.
Civil Liability — Who Can Bibb County Families Sue?
Criminal charges are one form of accountability. Civil lawsuits allow Bibb County families to pursue financial compensation for the harm caused. This is where Attorney 911 can help.
Potential defendants in a Bibb County hazing lawsuit:
| Defendant | Basis for Liability | Why They’re Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Local Chapter | Direct liability | Organized and conducted the hazing |
| National Organization | Negligent supervision; failure to enforce policies | Knew or should have known about hazing culture; failed to prevent |
| University/College | Premises liability; negligent supervision | Owns or controls property; failed to protect students despite power to act |
| Housing Corporation | Premises liability | Owns or controls fraternity/sorority property where hazing occurred |
| Individual Members | Assault; battery; intentional infliction of emotional distress | Actively participated in or facilitated hazing |
| Chapter Officers | Leadership negligence | Failed to stop hazing despite authority to do so |
| Alumni | Negligent supervision; premises liability | Allowed hazing at their homes; failed to intervene |
In our UH case, we are suing:
- The national fraternity
- The local chapter
- The housing corporation
- The university
- Individual members and officers
- A former member and his spouse (hazing occurred at their home)
Bibb County families can pursue the same defendants.
💰 What Bibb County Hazing Victims Can Recover
Hazing causes real harm — physical, emotional, and financial. Bibb County families are entitled to compensation for:
Economic Damages:
- Medical bills — ER visits, hospital stays, surgeries, medications, rehabilitation
- Future medical expenses — ongoing treatment, therapy, potential dialysis or transplant
- Lost wages — time missed from work during recovery
- Lost earning capacity — if injuries affect future career prospects
- Educational disruption — tuition, fees, lost scholarships
- Travel expenses — for medical treatment or legal proceedings
Non-Economic Damages:
- Physical pain and suffering — the agony of rhabdomyolysis, kidney failure, broken bones, burns
- Mental anguish — trauma from waterboarding, forced eating, physical abuse
- Emotional distress — PTSD, anxiety, depression, fear of retribution
- Humiliation and shame — from degrading hazing rituals
- Loss of enjoyment of life — inability to participate in normal activities
- Loss of consortium — impact on family relationships
Punitive Damages:
- To punish egregious conduct — when hazing is intentional, reckless, or shows conscious indifference
- To deter future hazing — send a message that this behavior will not be tolerated
- Available in Alabama — when conduct is willful, wanton, or malicious
Precedent shows Bibb County families can recover MILLIONS:
| Case | Fraternity | University | Outcome | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Foltz | Pi Kappa Alpha | Bowling Green State | Settlement | $10.1 million |
| Maxwell Gruver | Phi Delta Theta | LSU | Jury Verdict | $6.1 million |
| Timothy Piazza | Beta Theta Pi | Penn State | Settlement | $110+ million |
| Andrew Coffey | Pi Kappa Phi | Florida State | Settlement | Confidential (multi-million) |
| Bermudez | Pi Kappa Phi | University of Houston | Pending | $10 million demanded |
These results are possible for Bibb County victims too.
📋 What Bibb County Families Should Do If Their Child Is Hazed
Step 1: Ensure Immediate Safety
- Remove your child from the situation — get them away from the fraternity/sorority immediately
- Seek medical attention — even if injuries seem minor, get checked by a doctor
- Rhabdomyolysis, alcohol poisoning, and traumatic brain injury symptoms may be delayed
- Medical records create critical evidence
Step 2: Preserve Evidence
DO NOT:
- Delete any text messages, social media posts, or emails
- Confront the fraternity or university alone
- Sign anything from the organization or their lawyers
- Post about the incident on social media
- Destroy any physical evidence (clothing, paddles, etc.)
DO:
- Take photos/videos of injuries at all stages of healing
- Save all communications — texts, GroupMe, Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, emails
- Document everything — dates, times, locations, what happened, who was there
- Get witness information — names and contact info of other pledges or witnesses
- Keep all medical records — hospital bills, doctor notes, test results
Step 3: Report the Incident
- File a police report — hazing is a crime in Alabama
- Report to the university — request a Title IX investigation if applicable
- Report to the national organization — if it’s a fraternity/sorority with national affiliation
Step 4: Contact an Attorney Immediately
DO NOT wait. Evidence disappears. Witnesses forget. Statutes of limitations run out.
Call Attorney 911 — 1-888-ATTY-911
We offer:
- Free, confidential consultations for Bib
