Hazing in Texas: A Comprehensive Legal Guide for Families in Chireno and Throughout Nacogdoches County
We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, and we represent families across Texas whose children have been injured, traumatized, or killed by hazing. Right now, we are leading one of the most serious hazing lawsuits in the country right here in Texas. This guide is for every family in Chireno, Nacogdoches, San Augustine, Shelby County, and across East Texas who needs to understand the brutal reality of modern hazing, the law that protects victims, and the path to accountability.
If you are a parent in Chireno, your child may attend Stephen F. Austin State University right here in Nacogdoches County, or they may travel to schools across the state like Texas A&M, the University of Texas at Austin, or the University of Houston. Wherever they are, the culture of secrecy and tradition in fraternities, sororities, athletic teams, and corps programs can turn a quest for belonging into a nightmare of abuse. We have seen it firsthand in our current case against the University of Houston and the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, and we see the same dangerous patterns at campuses statewide.
This article is your definitive resource. We will explain what hazing truly looks like in 2025, break down Texas and federal law, detail major national cases that set the precedent for justice, and provide a clear, campus-by-campus analysis for Texas universities. Most importantly, we will outline the practical steps your family can take to secure safety, evidence, and accountability.
IMMEDIATE HELP FOR HAZING EMERGENCIES
If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:
- Call 911 for any medical emergency.
- Then call Attorney911: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide immediate, 24/7 help—that’s why we are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.
In the first 48 hours:
- Get medical attention immediately, even if injuries seem minor or your child is reluctant.
- Preserve evidence BEFORE it’s deleted:
- Take screenshots of group chats (GroupMe, iMessage, WhatsApp), texts, and social media DMs.
- Photograph any injuries from multiple angles.
- Save any physical items (clothing, paddles, receipts).
- Write down everything your child tells you—names, dates, locations, specific acts—while memories are fresh.
- DO NOT:
- Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team directly.
- Sign anything from the university or an insurance company.
- Post details on public social media.
- Allow your child to delete messages or “clean up” their phone.
Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours. Evidence vanishes quickly. Universities and organizations move faster to control the narrative than families realize. We can help you preserve evidence, protect your child’s rights, and navigate the complex legal landscape from the very start. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation.
The Stark Reality: Hazing Happens Here. Our Current Case Proves It.
Before we delve into the law and the patterns, you need to know this is not a hypothetical fear. It is a present and active fight.
We currently represent Leonel Bermudez, a former pledge at the University of Houston (UH) who was brutally hazed by the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s Beta Nu chapter in the fall of 2025. The details, as reported by Click2Houston and ABC13, are harrowing and illustrate the extreme dangers hidden behind Greek letters.
Mr. Bermudez was subjected to a regime of humiliation and violence. He was forced to carry a “pledge fanny pack” 24/7 containing condoms, a sex toy, and other degrading items. He endured enforced dress codes, overnight driving duties, and hours-long “study” blocks. The physical abuse included extreme workouts at Yellowstone Boulevard Park, being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, and a November 3rd session where he was forced to do over 100 push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion.
The result was catastrophic: rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure. His urine turned brown, he could not stand without help, and he was hospitalized for four days with critically high creatine kinase levels. He faces an ongoing risk of permanent kidney damage.
This did not happen in a vacuum. The lawsuit names 17 defendants: the University of Houston, the UH System Board of Regents, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters, the Beta Nu housing corporation, and 13 individual fraternity leaders and members. Following the reports, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters suspended the chapter on November 6, 2025, and the chapter voted to surrender its charter on November 14. UH called the conduct “deeply disturbing” and promised cooperation with law enforcement.
Why this matters for you in Chireno: This case is not an anomaly in a far-off city. The same national fraternities and sororities that operate at UH have chapters and alumni networks across Texas, including at schools your child may attend. The institutional playbook—deny, delay, deflect—is the same everywhere. Our active litigation in this multi-million dollar case proves we are already on the front lines, fighting the exact institutions and insurance companies that families in Nacogdoches County would face.
Hazing in 2025: Beyond the Stereotypes
Hazing is not just “boys will be boys” or harmless tradition. It is a calculated abuse of power designed to create loyalty through fear and trauma. Modern hazing has evolved, leveraging technology and psychological coercion.
A Modern Definition: Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act—on or off campus—directed against a student for the purpose of pledging, initiation, affiliation, or maintaining membership in a group, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of that student. Consent is not a defense under Texas law.
The Four-Tiered Reality of Modern Hazing:
- Digital Hazing & Psychological Control: The 24/7 demand cycle via GroupMe, with threats for non-compliance; forced location sharing; social media humiliation; sleep deprivation enforced through late-night/early-morning digital demands.
- Alcohol & Substance Hazing: The most common cause of death. This includes forced chugging, “Big/Little” nights with handles of liquor, drinking games like “Bible Study” where wrong answers mandate drinks.
- Physical & Violent Hazing: Paddling; extreme calisthenics (“smokings”) leading to rhabdomyolysis; forced eating until vomiting; exposure to extreme cold/heat; branding; tackles and “glass ceiling” rituals.
- Sexualized & Degrading Hazing: Forced nudity; simulated sexual acts; humiliating costumes or roles; racist, sexist, or homophobic taunts and role-playing.
This conduct happens in fraternities and sororities (IFC, Panhellenic, NPHC, multicultural), Corps of Cadets programs, athletic teams, spirit groups (like the Texas Cowboys), marching bands, and other campus clubs. The common threads are power imbalance, secrecy, and the twisted notion that suffering builds brotherhood or sisterhood.
The Texas Legal Framework: Your Child’s Rights
Texas has specific laws to combat hazing, but they require families to act knowledgeably to enforce them.
Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F – The Hazing Statute:
- Definition (§37.151): Broadly defines hazing as acts that endanger physical or mental health for purposes of initiation/affiliation. Location (on or off campus) does not matter. “Consent is not a defense” (§37.155).
- Criminal Penalties (§37.152): Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. It becomes a Class A misdemeanor if it causes bodily injury and a state jail felony if it causes serious bodily injury or death. Individuals who fail to report hazing or who retaliate against reporters can also be charged.
- Organizational Liability (§37.153): The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be fined up to $10,000 per violation if it authorized or encouraged the hazing, or if an officer knew and failed to report it.
- Immunity for Reporting (§37.154): A person who in good faith reports hazing is immune from civil or criminal liability for the report itself. This supports “medical amnesty” policies that encourage calling 911.
Criminal vs. Civil Cases: Two Paths to Accountability
- Criminal Cases: Brought by the state (DA’s office). Aim to punish with jail, fines, probation. Charges can include hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor, assault, and in fatalities, manslaughter.
- Civil Cases: Brought by the victim or family. Aim to secure compensation for damages (medical bills, pain and suffering, lost future earnings) and force institutional change through financial accountability. A criminal conviction is not required to file a civil lawsuit. Our firm focuses on complex civil hazing litigation.
Federal Overlays: Title IX, Clery, and the Stop Campus Hazing Act
- Title IX: If hazing involves sexual harassment or assault, the university has specific federal obligations to investigate and address a hostile environment.
- Clery Act: Requires universities to report certain crime statistics, which can include hazing-related assaults.
- Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024): Requires colleges receiving federal aid to publicly report hazing incidents and strengthen prevention programs by 2026, increasing transparency.
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Civil Lawsuit?
The liability net is wide by design, because hazing is a systemic failure:
- The Individuals who planned, executed, or covered up the acts.
- The Local Chapter as an entity.
- The National Fraternity/Sorority Headquarters for negligent supervision, failure to enforce policies, and prior knowledge of patterns.
- The University for deliberate indifference to a known, substantial risk.
- Third Parties like property owners, landlords of off-campus houses, or alcohol providers.
The National Playbook: How Major Cases Shape Texas Litigation
The tragedies below are not just news stories; they are legal precedents that define “foreseeability” and “recklessness” for Texas courts. They show the patterns that nationals and universities claim they couldn’t predict—proving they absolutely should have.
- Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died from traumatic brain injury after a bid-acceptance drinking night; brothers delayed calling 911. Result: Dozens of criminal charges, a landmark civil suit, and Pennsylvania’ “Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law.” Pattern: Extreme alcohol hazing and cover-up culture.
- Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died from alcohol poisoning after a “Bible study” drinking game. Result: Felony hazing convictions and Louisiana’s “Max Gruver Act.” Pattern: Forced drinking games presented as tradition.
- Stone Foltz (Bowling Green State, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): Died after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol on “Big/Little” night. Result: $10+ million in total settlements from the national fraternity and university; chapter president personally ordered to pay $6.5 million. Pattern: The deadly “Big/Little” ritual Pi Kappa Alpha nationals had been warned about for years.
- Andrew Coffey (Florida State, Pi Kappa Phi, 2017): Died from acute alcohol poisoning during a “Big Brother” event. Result: Chapter closure, criminal charges, and a confidential civil settlement. Pattern: Our client’s case at UH involves this same national organization, Pi Kappa Phi.
- Danny Santulli (Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage from forced drinking; requires 24/7 care for life. Result: Multi-million-dollar settlements with 22 defendants. Pattern: Life-altering injury short of death, proving the immense stakes.
These cases create a map of negligence. When a Texas chapter repeats a “tradition” that has killed or maimed students elsewhere, the national organization cannot claim ignorance. This pattern evidence is the backbone of a powerful civil case.
The Texas Campus Landscape: Where Chireno Families Send Their Kids
Parents in Chireno and Nacogdoches County have deep ties to local and statewide universities. Understanding the specific ecosystems at these schools is critical.
1. Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches) – Your Local Campus
- For Chireno Families: SFASU is not just the local university; it’s where many of your neighbors, friends, and children attend school. Hazing incidents here happen in our own community, investigated by the Nacogdoches Police Department and SFASU PD, with potential lawsuits filed in Nacogdoches County courts.
- Greek Life & Campus Culture: SFASU has an active Greek community with Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities, Panhellenic sororities, and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) chapters. The “Lumberjack” culture and close-knit campus can, paradoxically, increase pressure to conform and keep secrets.
- Public Records Insight: IRS data shows Greek entities based in Nacogdoches, such as the Epsilon Tau Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity (EIN 756053083) and the Epsilon Zeta chapter of Chi Omega (EIN 756041410). These are not just social clubs; they are registered Texas organizations with Employer Identification Numbers (EINs), meaning they can own property, enter contracts, and be sued as legal entities.
- Action for SFASU Families: Reporting channels flow through the SFASU Dean of Students’ Office and Campus Police. Evidence preservation is paramount. Given the local connections, victims may fear social retaliation, making the guidance of an outside, experienced law firm based in Houston (with statewide reach) especially valuable to ensure impartial advocacy.
2. The Major State Universities: Where East Texas Students Often Go
Beyond SFASU, students from our region attend flagship schools across Texas. Each has its own history and Greek ecosystem.
- Texas A&M University: The Corps of Cadets and powerful Greek system create a high-risk environment. Notable incidents include a Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) lawsuit where pledges suffered chemical burns from industrial cleaner, and a Corps of Cadets lawsuit alleging degrading sexualized hazing. The “Aggie Code” can foster silence.
- University of Texas at Austin: UT maintains a public hazing violations log, a transparency tool that can help prove patterns. Entries show sanctions against groups like Pi Kappa Alpha for forced milk consumption and strenuous calisthenics, and spirit groups for alcohol hazing.
- University of Houston: As detailed in our active Bermudez case, UH’s large commuter and residential mix includes a dense Greek network where severe abuse can fester. The proximity to a major media market like Houston means incidents can become public—and legally salient—quickly.
- Baylor University & Southern Methodist University: These private institutions have their own robust Greek life and athletic cultures. SMU’s Kappa Alpha Order chapter was suspended for paddling and forced drinking. Baylor has faced athletic hazing scandals, including within its baseball program.
The Throughline for Chireno: Whether your child is at SFASU, A&M, UT, or UH, the national fraternities and sororities are the same. Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Kappa Phi—these brands operate identically across the state. Their national histories of death and injury, documented above, are directly relevant to your child’s safety at any Texas chapter.
The Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: Why Data-Driven Litigation Matters
When you contact our firm, you are not starting from zero. We maintain a proprietary investigative engine built on public records to map the entire Greek ecosystem in Texas. This is how we identify every potentially liable entity from day one.
A Snapshot of the Greek Organizational Network in Texas:
Our research, compiled from IRS records, state filings, and university data, reveals the scale:
- Statewide: Over 1,400 Greek-related organizations across 25 Texas metro areas.
- IRS Backbone: More than 125 Texas-registered organizations with formal EINs, including house corporations, alumni chapters, and educational foundations.
- Local & Regional Connections: These organizations are not abstract; they have mailing addresses in cities like Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Lubbock, and Houston.
Public Records Directory: Examples of Texas Greek Entities
To illustrate the tangible network behind the letters, here are examples drawn from public IRS (B83) filings and other sources. These are the types of legal entities we investigate in every case:
- Alpha Tau Omega Housing Corporation of Eta Iota Chapter
EIN: 300517788 | 316 E Lakewood St, Nacogdoches, TX 75965
(IRS B83 Filing – Nacogdoches-based housing corporation) - Kappa Sigma – Mu Gamma Chapter Inc
EIN: 273662583 | 1416 Sleepy Hollow Dr, Lufkin, TX 75904
(IRS B83 Filing – Chapter entity in Lufkin) - Phi Kappa Psi Texas Epsilon Chapter
EIN: 452729519 | 1936 N St SFA Station Box 6159, Nacogdoches, TX 75965
(IRS B83 Filing – SFA-affiliated chapter) - Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc
EIN: 462267515 | 10601 Big Horn Trl, Frisco, TX 75035
(IRS B83 Filing – Housing corp for the UH chapter in our lawsuit) - Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc
EIN: 741380362 | PO Box 470061, Fort Worth, TX 76147
(IRS B83 Filing – Statewide educational foundation)
This directory matters because liability often extends beyond the undergraduate students. House corporations own the property. Alumni chapters control funding. National headquarters and their insurance carriers hide behind layers of corporate structure. Our data engine helps us pierce those veils to find every source of accountability and insurance coverage.
Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages
Winning a hazing case requires converting trauma into a forensically sound legal claim. This is where experience matters most.
The Evidence Pyramid: What Wins Cases
- Digital Forensics: Deleted GroupMe, WhatsApp, and text messages recovered; social media posts and geotags; email chains between members and nationals.
- Internal Documents: Chapter “pledge books,” risk management reports sent to nationals, minutes from meetings.
- University Records: Prior conduct violations for the same group obtained via discovery or public records request; Clery Act reports; internal investigation files.
- Medical & Psychological Records: ER reports diagnosing rhabdomyolysis or alcohol toxicity; therapist notes diagnosing PTSD, depression, or anxiety.
- Witness Testimony: Other pledges, former members, roommates, RAs—often the most reluctant but most powerful evidence.
The Damages We Fight to Recover
- Economic Damages: All medical bills (ER, hospital, surgery, future care), lost wages, diminished future earning capacity if injuries are permanent, educational costs (lost tuition, derailed scholarships).
- Non-Economic Damages: Physical pain, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and psychological trauma (PTSD, anxiety, depression).
- Wrongful Death Damages (for families): Funeral costs, loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and the family’s emotional suffering.
- Punitive Damages: In cases of egregious recklessness or cover-ups, to punish the defendants and deter future conduct.
Our Strategic Advantage: Insurance Insider Knowledge
A critical battleground is insurance. Fraternities and universities have complex liability policies. They often argue hazing is an “intentional act” excluded from coverage. Our Associate Attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense attorney for national firms. He knows exactly how these insurers evaluate claims, set reserves, and deploy delay tactics. We use this insider knowledge to navigate coverage disputes and fight for maximum recovery.
Practical Guides for Parents, Students, and Witnesses
FOR PARENTS IN CHIRENO: WARNING SIGNS & FIRST STEPS
Red Flags:
- Unexplained injuries, bruises, or burns.
- Extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, drastic weight change.
- Secrecy about group activities, sudden withdrawal from family/friends.
- Constant, anxious phone use for group chats; receiving calls/texts at all hours.
- Personality shifts: new anxiety, depression, irritability, or defensiveness.
What to Do Immediately:
- Prioritize Safety & Health: Get medical care. Document injuries with photos.
- Preserve Evidence: Help your child screenshot ALL group chats and messages. Do not let them delete anything out of shame or fear.
- Document: Write down everything your child tells you—names, dates, locations, specific acts.
- Seek Legal Counsel BEFORE Reporting: Contact us at 1-888-ATTY-911. We can guide you on how to report to the university or police in a way that protects your child’s rights and preserves legal claims. Do not sign any university “resolution” agreements without an attorney’s review.
- Avoid Common Mistakes: Do not confront the organization directly. Do not post on social media. Do not give a statement to the university’s or fraternity’s insurance adjuster.
FOR STUDENTS: IS THIS HAZING? HOW TO GET OUT SAFELY.
- The Test: Are you being pressured, coerced, or threatened with exclusion to do something dangerous, degrading, or illegal? If yes, it’s hazing.
- Your Rights: You have the legal right to quit anytime. Texas law protects those who report in good faith.
- Safe Exit: Tell a trusted person outside the group first (parent, RA, counselor). Send a simple, written resignation to the chapter president. Do not attend a “final meeting” where pressure or retaliation could occur.
- If You’re Injured: Go to the ER or student health. Tell the doctor you were hazed. This creates a critical medical record.
Critical Mistakes That Can Ruin a Case
- Deleting Evidence: Messages are the #1 piece of evidence. Preserve them.
- Confronting the Chapter: This triggers their defense lawyers and evidence destruction.
- Signing University Paperwork: Universities may offer a quick “resolution” that waives your right to sue.
- Posting on Social Media: Defense teams scour social media for inconsistencies.
- Waiting Too Long: Evidence disappears, witnesses graduate, memories fade. The Texas statute of limitations is generally two years, but the investigation must start immediately.
Why The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911 for Your Hazing Case
When your family in Chireno faces a hazing crisis, you need more than a local attorney. You need a firm with the specific expertise, resources, and track record to take on national fraternities, university systems, and their billion-dollar insurance carriers.
Our Proven Litigation Pedigree:
- Active, High-Stakes Hazing Litigation: We are lead counsel in the Leonel Bermudez vs. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi case—a $10 million lawsuit involving rhabdomyolysis, kidney failure, and institutional failure. This is not theoretical; we are in the fight right now.
- BP Texas City Explosion Litigation: Our Managing Partner, Ralph Manginello, was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in this billion-dollar, multi-defendant catastrophe. This proves our capability against the largest institutional defendants.
- Insurance Insider Advantage: Mr. Lupe Peña’s background as a national insurance defense attorney is our secret weapon. We know how fraternity and university insurers think, value claims, and fight. We use their playbook against them.
- Data-Driven Investigation: We deploy our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—the detailed public records mapping shown earlier—to identify all liable entities and insurance policies from day one. We don’t start from scratch.
- Dual Civil & Criminal Expertise: Ralph Manginello’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand the interplay between criminal hazing charges and civil lawsuits. We can advise on all fronts.
- Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish (Se habla Español). We are committed to serving all Texas families.
We believe in accountability, not just settlements. We fight to recover full damages for your family and to force the systemic changes that will protect the next student from Nacogdoches County, Lufkin, Center, or San Augustine.
A Final Message to Families in Chireno and Across East Texas
Hazing shatters lives and families. The guilt, fear, and trauma are profound. But you are not powerless, and you are not alone.
The path forward requires clear, decisive action: secure safety, preserve evidence, and seek expert legal guidance immediately. The institutions involved have teams of lawyers whose first goal is to minimize their exposure. You need an advocate whose only goal is you.
Contact The Manginello Law Firm for a free, confidential, and compassionate consultation. We will listen to your story, review the evidence you have, explain your legal options in plain English, and help you make the best decision for your family’s future and your child’s recovery.
Call us 24/7 at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). You can also visit our website at https://attorney911.com or email Ralph Manginello directly at ralph@atty911.com or Lupe Peña at lupe@atty911.com.
We serve families throughout Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. Let us help you turn this crisis into a pursuit of justice and prevention.
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 unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. If you have been affected by hazing, we strongly urge you to consult with an experienced attorney to discuss your specific situation.
