Hazing Lawyers for Cleburne, Texas Families: Protecting Your Child at UH, A&M, UT & Beyond

If Your Cleburne Student Was Hazed, You Need Texas-Specific Answers—Here They Are.

For parents in Cleburne, Johnson County, and across North Texas, the college experience should be about growth and opportunity, not fear and injury. Yet a nightmare scenario unfolds all too often: a child texts less, seems withdrawn, or comes home with unexplained injuries. When you ask what’s wrong, they dismiss it as “just pledging” or “team bonding.” Deep down, you know something is wrong.

Right now, we are actively litigating one of the most severe hazing cases in Texas at the University of Houston, demonstrating exactly how this crisis hits home. Leonel Bermudez, a student, allegedly endured brutal hazing from the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter that led to rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney failure, and a four-day hospitalization. According to media reports and our complaint, his ordeal included being forced to carry a degrading “pledge fanny pack,” sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” and subjected to extreme workouts at Yellowstone Boulevard Park until he passed brown urine. The chapter has since been shut down, and we have filed a $10 million lawsuit against the university, the national fraternity, and individual members.

This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s a pattern. If your child attends Tarleton State University in Stephenville (just an hour from Cleburne), Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, The University of Texas at Arlington, or any major campus across the state, they are in an ecosystem where Greek life, athletic teams, and tradition clubs can harbor dangerous rituals.

We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (operating as Attorney911, the Legal Emergency Lawyers™). We are Texas-based hazing litigation specialists with a data-driven approach and a proven record against powerful institutions. This guide is written specifically for parents and families in Cleburne, Johnson County, and the surrounding North Texas region to cut through the confusion and provide clear, actionable information on hazing, your legal rights, and the path to accountability.

Immediate Help for a Hazing Emergency

If your child is in danger or seriously injured RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for immediate medical assistance.
• Then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide immediate legal guidance in emergencies.

In the first 48 hours, take these steps:

1. Secure Medical Care: Get a full medical evaluation, even if injuries seem minor. Conditions like rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) or internal trauma may not be immediately apparent.
2. Preserve Digital Evidence: Help your child take screenshots of all relevant group chats (GroupMe, iMessage, WhatsApp), social media posts, and emails. Do not delete anything.
3. Document Physically: Photograph any injuries from multiple angles with good lighting. Save any clothing or items involved.
4. Write a Timeline: Jot down everything your child remembers—dates, times, locations, and names of everyone involved—while memories are fresh.
5. Do NOT: Confront the organization, post details on social media, sign anything from the university or an insurance adjuster, or let your child “clean up” their phone.

Hazing in 2025: It’s More Than “Just Partying”

Hazing is not a harmless rite of passage. Under Texas law, it is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation or affiliation with a group. It happens in fraternities, sororities, athletic teams, spirit groups like the Texas Cowboys, Corps of Cadets programs, and even academic clubs.

For Cleburne families, understanding the modern reality is key. Today’s hazing often blends physical abuse with digital coercion and psychological control.

The Three Tiers of Hazing:

• Subtle Hazing: Behaviors that emphasize power imbalance. This includes enforced secrecy, mandatory servitude (like being an on-call driver), social isolation, and “voluntary” tasks that interfere with academics.
• Harassment Hazing: Causes emotional or physical discomfort. This involves sleep deprivation, verbal abuse, forced consumption of unpleasant substances (like raw eggs or hot sauce), and calisthenic punishments (“smokings”).
• Violent Hazing: High-risk activities with potential for severe injury or death. This includes forced alcohol consumption (e.g., “family tree” drinking games), physical beatings or paddling, dangerous physical “tests,” sexualized acts, and kidnapping scenarios.

The hazing alleged in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case—forced overeating leading to vomiting, extreme workouts causing kidney failure, and simulated waterboarding—firmly sits in the violent tier. These are not accidents; they are predictable outcomes of a abusive culture.

Texas Hazing Law & Liability: What Cleburne Parents Must Know

Texas has specific statutes to combat hazing, primarily found in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F. Understanding this framework is crucial for holding the right parties accountable.

Criminal Penalties under Texas Law

• Class B Misdemeanor: Basic hazing offense (up to 180 days in jail, $2,000 fine).
• Class A Misdemeanor: Hazing that causes bodily injury.
• State Jail Felony: Hazing that causes serious bodily injury or death.
• A Critical Protection: The law states that the victim’s consent is not a defense. Even if your child “agreed,” it is still a crime if the act meets the definition of hazing.

Civil Liability: The Path to Accountability & Compensation

A criminal case, handled by the state, seeks punishment. A civil lawsuit, which we handle for families, seeks compensation for damages and forces institutional change. Potentially liable parties in a civil hazing case include:

1. The Individuals Who Participated: Members who planned, executed, or concealed the hazing.
2. The Local Chapter: As an organization that sanctioned or failed to stop the conduct.
3. The National Headquarters: For failing to supervise, enforce policies, or act on known patterns of abuse across its chapters.
4. The University: If it was deliberately indifferent to known risks, failed to enforce its own policies, or negligently supervised recognized organizations.
5. Third Parties: Landlords of off-campus houses, alcohol providers, or security companies.

The Federal Overlay: Title IX and The Stop Campus Hazing Act

Federal laws create additional avenues. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in education; hazing often overlaps with sexual harassment or gender-based hostility. The Clery Act requires universities to report certain crimes. The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024) now mandates more transparent reporting and public hazing data, increasing pressure on schools to address these issues.

The National Pattern: Why History Repeats Itself in Texas

The UH Pi Kappa Phi case is tragically familiar. Nationally, certain organizations have deadly patterns. This history matters because it establishes foreseeability—the national headquarters and universities knew or should have known the risks.

• Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike): At Bowling Green State University, Stone Foltz died in 2021 after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol. The result was a $10 million settlement with the national fraternity and university. Their “Big/Little” night is a known, dangerous script.
• Beta Theta Pi: At Penn State, Timothy Piazza died in 2017 after a bid-acceptance night of forced drinking, with help delayed for hours. The case led to the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law in Pennsylvania.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): This fraternity has faced dozens of hazing lawsuits, including a case at Texas A&M where pledges allegedly suffered severe chemical burns. At UT Austin, a lawsuit alleges an SAE member assaulted an exchange student, causing serious injuries.

These are not “rogue” chapters. They are manifestations of systemic failures by national organizations that collect dues and promote tradition without eradicating the dangerous rituals embedded in their culture. When these same organizations have chapters at Tarleton, TCU, UTA, or UT Austin, the risk to your child is not hypothetical—it is documented.

The Texas Hazing Landscape: Universities Serving Cleburne Families

Cleburne and Johnson County families have deep ties to universities across the state. Whether your student commutes to Tarleton State, heads to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro for school, or attends a major flagship, here is what you need to know.

Public Records: The Greek Ecosystem Around Cleburne & North Texas

We maintain a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine built from public IRS filings, university data, and organizational records. This isn’t abstract—it’s a directory of the entities that may bear responsibility. For Cleburne families, the relevant metro is the massive Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area, which our data shows contains over 510 Greek-related organizations.

A Sample of DFW Metro Greek Organizations (from public records):

• Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity, EIN 74-2911848, Fort Worth, TX 76244
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc, EIN 74-1380362, Fort Worth, TX 76147
• Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity – Gamma Psi Chapter, Fort Worth, TX (Chapter at TCU)
• Delta Delta Delta – Arlington Alumnae Chapter, Dallas, TX
• Kappa Delta Sorority – Gamma Beta Chapter, Denton, TX (Chapter at Texas Woman’s University)

Statewide, our data tracks over 1,423 fraternity and sorority entities across 25 Texas metros. These include undergraduate chapters, alumni associations, housing corporations, and educational foundations—all potential defendants in a lawsuit.

Where Cleburne & Johnson County Families Send Their Kids

Local & Regional Campuses:

• Tarleton State University (Stephenville, Erath County): A common choice for local students. Its Greek life and athletic programs are not immune to hazing risks.
• Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Tarrant County): A major private university with a significant Greek presence in the DFW metro.
• The University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, Tarrant County): A large public university with active fraternity and sorority life.
• Texas Woman’s University (Denton, Denton County): Home to sororities and campus organizations.
• University of North Texas (Denton, Denton County): A growing Greek community.

Major Texas Hubs:
Cleburne students also attend flagship institutions across Texas, where hazing incidents are consistently documented:

• University of Houston (Site of our active Pi Kappa Phi litigation)
• Texas A&M University (Corps of Cadets and Greek life hazing cases)
• The University of Texas at Austin (Publishes an annual hazing violations log)
• Baylor University (Hazing incidents in athletic programs)
• Southern Methodist University (Private university with historic Greek life hazing cases)

University-Specific Profiles: Policies and Precedents

University of Texas at Austin:
UT Austin operates with rare transparency through its public Hazing Violations log. Recent entries show:

• Pi Kappa Alpha (2023): New members directed to consume milk and perform strenuous calisthenics. Sanction: Probation.
• Various spirit groups and fraternities sanctioned for forced workouts, alcohol-related tasks, and degrading behavior.
  This public record is a powerful tool for families, proving the university’s prior knowledge of specific organizations’ conduct.

Texas A&M University:
A&M’s unique Corps of Cadets culture coexists with a large Greek system. Documented cases include:

• Corps of Cadets Lawsuit (2023): A cadet alleged degrading hazing including being bound in a “roasted pig” position. The case sought over $1 million.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon Chemical Burns Case (~2021): Pledges allegedly suffered severe burns from substances including industrial cleaner, requiring skin grafts.
  A&M’s response to these incidents often involves internal disciplinary processes, but civil litigation is frequently necessary to secure full accountability and compensation.

Tarleton State University & DFW-Area Schools:
While smaller than flagships, universities like Tarleton, TCU, and UTA have their own Greek ecosystems subject to the same Texas laws. Incidents may receive less media attention but cause equal harm. Reporting channels exist through each school’s Dean of Students or Office of Student Conduct.

Building a Powerful Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy & Damages

Winning a hazing case requires converting outrage into a legally compelling narrative built on evidence. This is where our experience and investigative resources make the difference.

The Evidence That Wins Cases

• Digital Communications: Screenshots of GroupMe, WhatsApp, or Discord chats planning events, bragging about acts, or threatening consequences for reporting. We work with digital forensics experts to recover deleted messages.
• Photographs & Videos: Media from the event itself, or images of injuries afterward. Social media posts (even seemingly “fun” ones) can be critical.
• Medical Records: Documentation connecting injuries directly to the hazing event. This is vital for proving causation in cases like rhabdomyolysis or traumatic brain injury.
• Organizational Records: Obtained through discovery, these can include national fraternity risk management files, prior incident reports, and internal emails showing knowledge of problems.
• Witness Testimony: Other pledges, former members, roommates, or bystanders who can corroborate the story.

Types of Recoverable Damages

In a civil lawsuit, families can seek compensation for:

• Economic Damages: All medical expenses (emergency care, hospital stays, surgery, therapy), lost wages, and future earning capacity if injuries are permanent.
• Non-Economic Damages: Physical pain, emotional suffering, PTSD, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages: If the unthinkable happens, families can recover funeral costs, loss of financial support, and the profound loss of companionship.

Overcoming Institutional Defenses

We anticipate and counter the standard defenses:

• “They Consented”: Texas law explicitly voids this defense in hazing cases due to inherent coercion.
• “It Was a Rogue Chapter”: We use national pattern evidence and prior incident reports to prove the national organization’s failure to supervise.
• “It Happened Off-Campus”: Liability is based on knowledge, sponsorship, and control, not solely property ownership.
  Our insider advantage comes from Mr. Lupe Peña, who spent years as an insurance defense attorney. He knows how fraternity and university insurers will try to deny claims, minimize value, and drag out cases—and exactly how to fight back.

A Practical Guide for Cleburne Parents & Students

For Parents: Warning Signs & Steps

Watch for:

• Unexplained injuries, exhaustion, or weight changes.
• Sudden secrecy about organizational activities.
• Personality shifts: anxiety, depression, or withdrawal.
• Constant, anxious phone use related to group chats.
• Financial strain from unexplained “fines” or purchases.

What to Do:

1. Talk openly and supportively. Assure your child their safety is paramount.
2. If injured, seek medical care and tell the provider the cause was hazing.
3. Preserve all evidence before it disappears.
4. Report the incident to the university’s Dean of Students and, if crimes occurred, to local police.
5. Consult with an experienced hazing attorney before making statements to university investigators or insurance adjusters.

For Students: Your Rights & Safety

• You have the right to be safe. No tradition justifies abuse.
• “Consent” is not a defense for them. You cannot legally agree to be hazed in Texas.
• Good-Faith Reporting Protections: Texas law and most university policies offer amnesty for those who call for help in a medical emergency.
• To Exit Safely: Do not attend “one last meeting.” Send a clear written resignation. Inform a trusted adult or campus authority. If you fear retaliation, document it and seek a protective order.

Critical Mistakes That Can Harm a Case

• Deleting evidence from phones or social media.
• Confronting the organization directly, prompting them to destroy evidence.
• Signing a university’s “internal resolution” agreement without legal advice, potentially waiving your right to sue.
• Posting details on public social media, which defense attorneys will scour for inconsistencies.
• Waiting for the university to “handle it.” Internal processes are not designed to deliver full justice or compensation.

Why Attorney911 is the Right Choice for Cleburne Hazing Cases

When your family is facing a hazing crisis, you need advocates who understand both the profound human cost and the complex legal battlefield. We are not just personal injury lawyers; we are institutional liability specialists with a targeted focus on hazing.

Our Proven Advantages:

1. Active, High-Stakes Texas Hazing Litigation: We are not theorists. We are lead counsel in the Leonel Bermudez v. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi case right now. We know the current tactics of defense firms, universities, and national headquarters because we are in the fight.
2. Data-Driven Investigative Edge: Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—the same one that catalogs the 510+ DFW Greek entities—means we don’t start from zero. We know how to identify every liable entity, from the local chapter to the national housing corporation.
3. Insurance Insider Knowledge: Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him) is a former insurance defense attorney for a national firm. He knows how these insurers value claims, fight coverage, and use delay tactics. We use their playbook against them.
4. Experience Against Billion-Dollar Defendants: Founding partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few Texas lawyers involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by the deep pockets of universities or national fraternities.
5. Dual Civil & Criminal Capability: Ralph’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand the interplay between criminal hazing charges and civil lawsuits. We can effectively advise clients navigating both systems.
6. Comprehensive Network of Experts: We work with medical specialists, digital forensics professionals, economists, and life-care planners to build undeniable cases for maximum compensation.
7. Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña habla Español. We are committed to serving the diverse families of Texas.

We serve families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. For Cleburne and North Texas families, we are your dedicated Texas hazing specialists, ready to help you navigate this difficult journey.

Call to Action: Confidential Consultation for Cleburne Families

If you suspect your child has been hazed at Tarleton State, TCU, UTA, UT Austin, Texas A&M, UH, or any Texas campus, you are not alone. The path forward begins with a conversation.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) for a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation.

During your consultation, we will:

• Listen carefully to your story.
• Review any evidence you have gathered.
• Explain your family’s legal rights and options under Texas law.
• Outline the potential claims and strategies.
• Answer your questions about the process, timeline, and our contingency fee structure (you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you).

Take the first step toward answers and accountability.

Call us 24/7: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct Line: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com
Website: https://attorney911.com
Se habla Español.

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. We encourage you to seek legal counsel for advice on your specific situation.