A Message to Parents in Campbell, Texas: When Hazing Happens to Your Child at College
We understand the mix of pride and worry that comes with sending your child off to a Texas university. For families in Campbell, Greenville, Commerce, and across Hunt County, campuses like Texas A&M University-Commerce feel close to home, while giants like the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M in College Station, and the University of Houston represent big dreams. You trust these institutions with your child’s safety and future. But right now, in a courtroom in Harris County, we are fighting a case that exposes a dark, hidden reality on Texas campuses—one every parent in our community needs to understand.
Our firm, The Manginello Law Firm (Attorney911), represents Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who nearly lost his life to fraternity hazing. In a $10 million lawsuit, we allege that members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s Beta Nu chapter subjected him to months of systematic abuse in fall 2025. This included forced, humiliating “pledge fanny pack” rules, overnight driving duties, and extreme physical hazing. He was sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” forced to overeat until vomiting, and put through brutal workouts. The culmination was a November 3rd “workout” of over 100 push-ups and 500 squats that led to a medical catastrophe: rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure. His urine turned brown. He was hospitalized for four days and faces a lifelong risk of permanent kidney damage.
As reported by Click2Houston and ABC13, the chapter was swiftly suspended by its national headquarters and voted to surrender its charter. The University of Houston called the conduct “deeply disturbing.” This is not a story from a faraway state; it is a live, active lawsuit happening at a major Texas university right now. It is proof that the most severe forms of hazing are not a relic of the past—they are a present and deadly danger on campuses where Campbell families send their children.
If you are a parent in Campbell, Wolfe City, or anywhere in Hunt County, this guide is for you. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, the Texas laws designed to protect your child, and the legal pathways to accountability and justice. You are not alone, and what you do next matters.
Immediate Help for Hazing Emergencies
If you suspect your child is in immediate danger:
- Call 911 for any medical emergency.
- Then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We are Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.
- In the first 48 hours: Get medical attention. Help your child preserve all digital evidence—screenshots of group chats (GroupMe, texts), photos of injuries, and save any physical items. Write down everything they remember. Do not confront the organization, sign anything from the university, or post details on social media.
Hazing in 2025: What It Really Looks Like Today
Hazing is no longer just about silly pranks or secret handshakes. It is a spectrum of coercion and abuse designed to assert power and control. For parents in Campbell, understanding this evolution is critical to recognizing the signs.
The Three Tiers of Modern Hazing:
- Subtle Hazing: Behaviors that emphasize power imbalance and set the stage for worse. This includes forced servitude (being an on-call driver, cleaning members’ rooms), social isolation from non-members, mandatory “study blocks” that interfere with class, and carrying humiliating items (like the “pledge fanny pack” in the UH case).
- Harassment Hazing: Actions that cause emotional or physical distress. This encompasses sleep deprivation with 3 AM wake-up calls, verbal abuse and degradation, forced consumption of unpleasant foods or substances, and strenuous, punitive calisthenics framed as “conditioning.”
- Violent Hazing: Activities with a high potential for severe injury or death. This is what happened to Leonel Bermudez. It includes forced alcohol consumption (chugging, drinking games), physical beatings or paddling, sexualized acts or humiliation, exposure to extreme elements, and dangerous “rituals” like those that have led to traumatic brain injuries and deaths nationwide.
The New Battlefield: Digital Hazing
Today’s hazing occurs in your child’s pocket. Pledges are subjected to 24/7 control via group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, Discord), demanded to respond instantly at all hours. They may be forced to share their live location, post humiliating content on social media, or participate in degrading “challenges” recorded on phones. This digital trail is often the most powerful evidence in holding organizations accountable.
Texas Hazing Law: The Legal Framework Protecting Your Child
Texas has strong laws on the books. Understanding them empowers you to take action.
Texas Education Code, Chapter 37 (Hazing Law):
- Definition: Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act directed against a student for the purpose of pledging or affiliation that endangers mental or physical health or safety. This applies on or off campus.
- Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. If it causes bodily injury, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor. If it causes serious bodily injury or death—like acute kidney failure or rhabdomyolysis—it is a State Jail Felony.
- Critical Protections: Consent is NOT a defense. It does not matter if your child “agreed” to participate. The law recognizes the power imbalance and coercion inherent in these situations. Furthermore, individuals who report hazing in good faith or seek emergency medical assistance have certain immunities.
Civil Liability: The Path to Accountability and Recovery
A criminal case, brought by the state, seeks punishment. A civil lawsuit, which we file on behalf of victims and families, seeks to make things right through compensation and to force institutional change. We can pursue claims against:
- The individuals who planned, performed, or covered up the hazing.
- The local chapter as an organization.
- The national fraternity or sorority headquarters that often had prior knowledge of similar risks.
- The university or its board of regents for negligent supervision or failure to act on known dangers.
- Property owners and other third parties.
Federal Overlays: Title IX, Clery, and the Stop Campus Hazing Act
Federal laws add another layer. If hazing involves sexual harassment or assault, Title IX requirements compel university investigation. The Clery Act requires reporting of certain crimes. The new Stop Campus Hazing Act will, by 2026, force universities to publish more transparent hazing data—a tool families can use to prove a school knew about recurring problems.
Where Campbell Families Send Their Kids: The Texas Campus Landscape
Campbell is in the heart of a region with deep educational ties. Families here have children at local institutions and flagship schools across the state. Each has its own Greek ecosystem and history.
For Campbell Parents: The Local and Statewide Picture
- Local Anchor: Texas A&M University-Commerce is in your own Hunt County. It has an active Greek life community with its own set of fraternities and sororities that are part of national networks.
- Major State Destinations: It is common for students from Campbell, Greenville, and Commerce to attend Texas A&M University in College Station, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Houston, Baylor University, and Southern Methodist University (SMU). The hazing risks at these major hubs directly impact Hunt County families.
The Greek Ecosystem Serving Texas Students: A Public Records Snapshot
We maintain what we call the Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—a database built from public records like IRS filings—to track the organizations behind the letters. This is not speculation; it is documented reality. For example, public IRS B83 records show Texas-registered Greek entities like:
- Sigma Phi Lambda Inc, EIN 201237505, in Corinth, TX 76210
- Kappa Sigma – Mu Camma Chapter Inc, EIN 133048786, in College Station, TX 77845
- Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc, EIN 462267515, in Frisco, TX 75035
- Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, EIN 263170920, in Denton, TX 76204 (at Texas Woman’s University)
- Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, EIN 746064445, in Nederland, TX 77627 (Epsilon Kappa Chapter)
In the broader Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, which influences our region, Cause IQ data indicates over 510 Greek-related organizations. This includes undergraduate chapters, alumni associations, and housing corporations that hold insurance and liability. When hazing occurs, we know how to identify every entity in the chain of responsibility, from the local chapter house corporation to the national headquarters.
National Hazing Histories: The Patterns That Repeat in Texas
The tragedy at UH is not an isolated event. It is part of a national pattern that Texas families must recognize. The same national organizations on our campuses have been at the center of catastrophic cases for years.
- Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike): At Bowling Green State University (2021), pledge Stone Foltz died after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol. His family secured a $10 million settlement.
- Beta Theta Pi: At Penn State (2017), Timothy Piazza died after a bid-night drinking event, leading to the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law in Pennsylvania.
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): At Texas A&M, pledges allegedly suffered severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts from a hazing incident. At UT Austin, a lawsuit alleges an exchange student was violently assaulted.
- Phi Delta Theta: At LSU (2017), Max Gruver died during a “Bible study” drinking game, leading to Louisiana’s felony hazing statute.
- Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI): At the University of Missouri (2021), pledge Danny Santulli suffered permanent brain damage from forced drinking, resulting in multi-million-dollar settlements with over 20 defendants.
These national patterns matter because they show foreseeability. When a chapter at UH or Texas A&M uses the same dangerous “traditions” that have killed or maimed students elsewhere, it strengthens the argument that the national organization failed to prevent a known and obvious danger.
Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Recovery
If your family is facing this crisis, knowing how a case is built can protect your rights. Our approach combines investigative rigor with insider knowledge of how institutions defend themselves.
The Evidence That Wins Cases:
- Digital Evidence: Deleted group chats are often recoverable. Social media posts, location data, and text messages provide a timeline of coercion and planning.
- Medical Documentation: Records diagnosing conditions like rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, PTSD, or anxiety are critical for proving harm.
- University Records: Through legal discovery, we can obtain prior conduct reports on the organization, showing a pattern the school knew about.
- National Fraternity Files: We subpoena records from headquarters showing their knowledge of past incidents and the adequacy of their supervision.
- Witness Testimony: Other pledges, former members, and bystanders are often crucial to piecing together the full story.
Our Strategic Advantages for Texas Families:
- Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense lawyer for national firms. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers try to deny claims, lowball settlements, and exploit delays. We know their playbook.
- Complex Institutional Litigation Experience: Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. Taking on billion-dollar corporations taught us how to investigate systemic failures and hold powerful institutions accountable—the same skills we use against national fraternities and large universities.
- Full Damages Analysis: We work with economists and life-care planners to fully value the impact of an injury. This includes future medical care, lost earning potential, and the profound non-economic damages of pain, suffering, and trauma. In wrongful death cases, we help families quantify their devastating loss.
Practical Guide for Campbell Parents and Students
For Parents – Warning Signs:
- Unexplained injuries, bruises, or burns.
- Extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, or drastic weight change.
- Secrecy about organization activities or fear of talking about them.
- Personality shifts: anxiety, depression, or withdrawal.
- Constant, anxious phone use related to group chats.
- Sudden academic decline or loss of interest in old friends.
For Students – If You’re Being Hazed:
- Your safety comes first. In an emergency, call 911. Texas law provides some protection for those who seek help in good faith.
- Preserve evidence immediately. Take screenshots of all relevant chats and posts. Photograph injuries. Do not delete anything.
- Know that “consent” is not a legal defense for hazing in Texas. You are a victim, not a participant.
- Report to multiple channels: a trusted university official (Dean of Students), campus police, and consider an anonymous report to the National Anti-Hazing Hotline (1-888-NOT-HAZE).
Critical Mistakes That Can Harm a Case:
- Deleting digital evidence. Preserve everything, even if it’s embarrassing.
- Confronting the organization directly. This triggers evidence destruction and witness coaching.
- Signing university-offered waivers or quick settlement offers before having an attorney review them.
- Posting detailed accounts on public social media, which can be used against you.
- Waiting for the university to “handle it internally” while evidence disappears and the statute of limitations ticks.
Why Choose The Manginello Law Firm / Attorney911
When your family is in crisis, you need advocates who understand both the profound human trauma and the complex legal battlefield. We are not just personal injury lawyers; we are hazing litigation specialists with a proven record in the most serious cases.
We are currently leading the fight in the Leonel Bermudez vs. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit. We built that case using the same investigative framework and data-driven approach we would use for any family in Campbell or across Texas. Our firm brings together a unique combination of skills:
- Mr. Lupe Peña’s insider insurance defense experience to counter the tactics of well-funded opponents.
- Ralph Manginello’s 25+ years of complex litigation experience, including battles against corporate giants.
- A deep, data-driven understanding of the Texas Greek landscape, from local housing corporations to national headquarters.
- A compassionate, victim-centered approach. We listen, we believe you, and we fight to secure not just compensation, but real accountability to prevent future harm.
We serve families statewide from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. We offer free, confidential consultations and work on a contingency fee basis—you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
Call to Action for Campbell and Hunt County Families
If you suspect your child has been hazed at Texas A&M-Commerce, Texas A&M, UT Austin, University of Houston, Baylor, SMU, or any other Texas campus, do not wait. Evidence fades, witnesses scatter, and institutions close ranks.
Contact us today to protect your child’s rights and future. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911) for an immediate, free, and completely confidential consultation. You can also reach our managing partner, Ralph Manginello, directly at (713) 443-4781 or ralph@atty911.com.
Se habla Español. For Spanish-speaking families, please ask for Mr. Lupe Peña at lupe@atty911.com.
Your child’s safety and your family’s peace of mind are worth fighting for. Let us help you hold the right people accountable.
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 law. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
