Hazing Litigation Guide for Conecuh County, Alabama Families: Your Path to Accountability

If you are a parent in Conecuh County, Alabama, and you suspect your college student has been subjected to hazing, you are likely feeling a terrifying mix of confusion, anger, and helplessness. The call may have come in the middle of the night: your child is hospitalized, or they are home, withdrawn and traumatized, speaking in fragments about forced drinking, brutal workouts, or humiliating rituals. You contact their university, only to be met with vague assurances and procedural walls. The fraternity or sorority closes ranks. You are left alone with a fundamental question: Who is responsible for this harm, and how do I hold them accountable?

For families in Conecuh County—from Evergreen to Range, from Brooklyn to Repton—the reality is that hazing is not a problem confined to any single state. Your child may attend the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Auburn University, the University of South Alabama in Mobile, or any number of other institutions across the Southeast and the nation with active Greek life systems. Wherever it occurs, hazing inflicts profound physical and psychological damage, shrouded in secrecy and protected by powerful institutions.

Right now, our firm is actively fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in the country: the $10 million lawsuit on behalf of Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston and the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s Beta Nu chapter. This case, detailed in Click2Houston and ABC13 coverage, involves allegations of extreme physical abuse, forced consumption of food until vomiting, and hazing so severe it caused rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure, requiring four days of hospitalization. We represent Mr. Bermudez. This case is not an aberration; it is a window into the systemic failures that allow hazing to persist nationwide, including at schools where Conecuh County students enroll.

This guide is written specifically for you—Conecuh County parents, students, and families navigating the aftermath of hazing. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, the legal frameworks that apply in Alabama and federally, and how the experience we gain in high-stakes litigation translates directly to helping your family seek justice, no matter where the harm occurred.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR HAZING EMERGENCIES

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for medical emergencies.
• Then call Attorney911: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide immediate help—that’s why we are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.

In the first 48 hours:

1. Get Medical Attention: Even if your child insists they are “fine,” seek evaluation. Conditions like rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) or internal injuries may not be immediately apparent.
2. Preserve Evidence BEFORE It’s Deleted:
   • Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), texts, and direct messages immediately.
   • Photograph any visible injuries from multiple angles.
   • Save any physical items (damaged clothing, paddles, receipts for forced purchases).
3. Document Everything: Write down a timeline of events, including names, dates, locations, and what your child tells you while their memory is fresh.
4. Do NOT:
   • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team directly.
   • Sign anything presented by the university or an insurance company.
   • Allow your child to delete messages or “clean up” their social media.
   • Post details about the incident on public social media platforms.

Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours. Evidence disappears rapidly. Universities and national organizations move quickly to control narratives. We can help you navigate this crisis from the outset. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for an immediate, confidential consultation.

What Hazing Really Looks Like in 2025

Hazing has evolved far beyond crude stereotypes. It is a spectrum of abuse designed to assert power and create loyalty through coercion. For Conecuh County families, understanding its modern forms is the first step in recognizing it.

Alcohol and Substance Hazing: This remains the most common and deadliest form. It includes forced consumption during “lineups,” “family tree” drinking games, “Big/Little” nights where a pledge is given a bottle of liquor, or coercive drinking as punishment for incorrect answers during quizzes. The national cases are tragically consistent: from Stone Foltz at Bowling Green to Max Gruver at LSU, forced drinking leads to alcohol poisoning and death.

Physical Hazing: This ranges from “smokings” or extreme calisthenics (hundreds of push-ups, wall-sits until collapse) to paddling, beatings, and dangerous physical “tests” like blindfolded tackles. In the Bermudez case at UH, allegations include 100+ push-ups, 500 squats, bear crawls, and being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding.”

Psychological and Humiliating Hazing: This includes sleep deprivation, food restriction, verbal abuse, public shaming, forced nudity or wearing degrading costumes, and simulated sexual acts. The “pledge fanny pack” in the UH case—filled with condoms, sex toys, and humiliating items—is a stark example of designed psychological degradation.

Digital Hazing: The smartphone era has created new avenues for control and humiliation. This includes 24/7 monitoring via group chats, demands for immediate responses at all hours, forced posting of embarrassing content on social media, and the use of location-sharing apps to track pledges.

Where Hazing Occurs: While fraternities and sororities are often the focus, hazing pervades many groups: athletic teams, spirit squads like cheerleading, marching bands, Corps of Cadets or ROTC units, and other campus organizations. The common thread is a power imbalance between new and existing members, exploited under the guise of “tradition” or “team building.”

Law & Liability: Alabama, Federal, and Your Path to Justice

Hazing is not just a violation of university policy; it is often a crime and always a civil wrong that can form the basis of a lawsuit for damages.

Alabama Hazing Laws: Alabama has its own specific hazing statute (Alabama Code § 16-1-23). The law defines hazing as any willful act directed against a student for the purpose of initiation into, affiliation with, or admission to any organization connected with a school, college, or university that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of that student. Key provisions include:

• Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class C misdemeanor. However, if the hazing results in serious physical injury, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor.
• Consent is Not a Defense: The law explicitly states that the consent of the hazing victim is not a valid defense.
• Duty to Report: The law mandates that any person at an institution of education who witnesses or has knowledge of hazing must report it to appropriate officials.
• Organizational Liability: Organizations that knowingly permit hazing can face forfeiture of official recognition, privileges, and funds.

Federal Legal Frameworks:

• Title IX: When hazing involves sexual harassment, sexual assault, or gender-based discrimination, it triggers a university’s obligations under Title IX to investigate and address a hostile environment.
• The Clery Act: Requires colleges to report certain crime statistics, including arrests for liquor, drug, and weapons violations, which can encompass hazing-related incidents.
• The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024): This new federal law requires institutions receiving federal aid to enhance transparency in hazing reporting and strengthen prevention programs, with provisions phasing in through 2026.

Civil Liability in a Hazing Lawsuit: A civil case seeks financial compensation (damages) for the harm caused. Potential defendants in a hazing lawsuit can include:

• The Individuals who planned, perpetrated, or assisted in the hazing.
• The Local Chapter of the fraternity, sorority, or team.
• The National Organization (e.g., Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon) which may be liable for negligent supervision, failure to enforce its own policies, or for fostering a foreseeable, dangerous culture.
• The University itself, for negligent supervision, deliberate indifference to a known risk, or failure to fulfill its duties under Title IX or its own policies.
• Third Parties, such as property owners who allowed hazing to occur on their premises.

National Hazing Case Patterns: Why History Matters for Alabama Families

The tragic cases that make national headlines are not isolated incidents. They reveal patterns that repeat across the country, including at universities popular with Alabama students. These patterns are critical because they establish “foreseeability”—showing that national organizations and universities were on notice about specific, dangerous practices.

The Forced Drinking Pattern: The deaths of Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi), Andrew Coffey (Florida State, Pi Kappa Phi), Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta), and Stone Foltz (Bowling Green, Pi Kappa Alpha) all follow a similar script: a pledge event centered on coerced alcohol consumption, leading to fatal alcohol poisoning. When the same national fraternity is involved in multiple deaths, it powerfully demonstrates that the risk was known and preventable.

The Physical Abuse & Ritual Pattern: The death of Chun “Michael” Deng (Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi) during a violent “glass ceiling” ritual at an off-campus retreat shows how hazing moves to hidden locations and involves premeditated physical violence. The Pi Delta Psi national fraternity was criminally convicted in that case.

The Catastrophic Injury Pattern: Cases like Danny Santulli (University of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta), who suffered permanent brain damage from forced drinking, or the victim in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon lawsuit at Texas A&M who suffered severe chemical burns, show that hazing doesn’t have to be fatal to destroy a young life.

What This Means for You: If your child was hazed by a chapter of a national fraternity or sorority with a known history of these abuses, that history becomes a powerful part of your legal case. It shows the national organization failed to take adequate steps to protect your child. Our work on the Bermudez case against Pi Kappa Phi national headquarters gives us direct insight into this exact type of institutional investigation.

Hazing at Universities Near Conecuh County and Across the Southeast

Conecuh County families often send their students to major universities within Alabama and across the Southeastern United States, many of which have significant Greek life cultures and documented hazing incidents.

University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa): With a large and historic Greek system, UA has faced hazing allegations in various organizations. The university maintains anti-hazing policies and reporting channels through the Office of Student Conduct. Incidents can involve Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternities, National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations, and other groups.

Auburn University: Auburn’s Greek life is a central part of campus culture. The university has disciplined chapters for hazing violations, which can include alcohol misuse, forced activities, and humiliation. Auburn’s policies prohibit hazing on and off-campus.

University of South Alabama (Mobile): As a growing university with Greek life, USA has mechanisms for reporting hazing through the Dean of Students office. Cases may involve both social fraternities/sororities and other student organizations.

Other Regional Universities: Students from Conecuh County also attend schools like Troy University, the University of Montevallo, Jacksonville State University, and out-of-state SEC schools like the University of Georgia, Louisiana State University (LSU), and the University of Mississippi. Each has experienced hazing incidents, and the patterns are consistent.

The Institutional Response: Universities often face a conflict between protecting their reputation and holding powerful student organizations accountable. Internal disciplinary processes may result in chapter probation or suspension, but these are often temporary and confidential. They rarely provide the comprehensive accountability or compensation that a seriously injured student deserves. A civil lawsuit operates independently of the university’s internal process and can uncover evidence the university did not or could not obtain.

Fraternities, Sororities, and National Histories: Connecting the Dots

The same national organizations involved in high-profile cases nationwide have chapters at Alabama and Southeastern schools. This connection is not coincidental; it is systemic.

Major National Organizations with Documented Hazing Histories:

• Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike): Involved in the Stone Foltz death ($10M settlement) and other serious cases.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): Has faced numerous hazing-related lawsuits and deaths, leading to a national abolition of the “pledge” model in 2014, though problems persist.
• Phi Delta Theta: Involved in the Max Gruver death at LSU, which led to Louisiana’s felony hazing law.
• Pi Kappa Phi: The national organization we are currently suing in the Bermudez case at UH, and involved in the Andrew Coffey death at FSU.
• Kappa Alpha Order: Has faced hazing suspensions and lawsuits at multiple campuses.
• Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji): Involved in the Danny Santulli catastrophic brain injury case at Missouri.

When a chapter at the University of Alabama, Auburn, or South Alabama engages in forced drinking, physical abuse, or humiliating rituals, they are often following a “playbook” that has caused tragedy elsewhere. A national organization’s prior knowledge of these patterns is central to establishing its liability for failing to adequately supervise, train, or intervene.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages

Pursuing accountability requires a meticulous, strategic approach. As we are doing in the active Bermudez litigation, we build cases from the ground up with a focus on uncovering the full truth.

Critical Evidence in a Modern Hazing Case:

• Digital Evidence: This is paramount. We seek group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp), text messages, social media posts, photos, and videos that show planning, conduct, and cover-ups. Even deleted messages can often be recovered through forensic means. Watch our guide on using your phone to document evidence.
• Medical Records: Documentation of injuries, hospitalizations, lab results (like elevated creatine kinase levels indicating rhabdomyolysis), and psychological diagnoses (PTSD, anxiety, depression) is essential.
• University Records: Through discovery, we can obtain the chapter’s prior disciplinary history, internal university investigations, and communications between the university and the national organization.
• National Organization Files: We subpoena records from the national fraternity/sorority headquarters, including prior incident reports at other chapters, risk management manuals, and communications with the local chapter.
• Witness Testimony: Other pledges, former members, roommates, and bystanders can provide crucial accounts.

Our Litigation Strategy: Our approach is defined by our unique dual perspective. Ralph Manginello brings over 25 years of complex litigation experience, including involvement in the BP Texas City explosion cases—proving we are not intimidated by powerful institutional defendants. Mr. Lupe Peña, a former insurance defense attorney for a national firm, provides insider knowledge of how fraternity and university insurance companies evaluate claims, fight coverage, and attempt to minimize payouts. We use this knowledge to anticipate and counter defense tactics.

Damages in a Hazing Case: The goal of a civil lawsuit is to recover compensation for the profound harm caused. This can include:

• Economic Damages: All past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and loss of future earning capacity if injuries are permanent.
• Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, trauma, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages: In the unspeakable event of a hazing death, families can seek compensation for funeral costs, loss of financial support, and the profound loss of love, companionship, and guidance.

We work with life-care planners, economists, and medical experts to fully document the lifetime impact of catastrophic hazing injuries.

Practical Guides for Conecuh County Families, Students, and Witnesses

For Parents:

• Know the Warning Signs: Unexplained injuries, extreme fatigue, sudden secrecy, withdrawal from family/friends, personality changes, anxiety about phone notifications, and declining academic performance.
• Have the Conversation: Approach your child with empathy, not accusation. Use open-ended questions: “I’m worried about you. Is there anything happening with your [fraternity/team] that feels unsafe or wrong?”
• Act Swiftly: If harm is suspected, prioritize medical care and evidence preservation. Assume digital evidence will be destroyed within days.
• Understand the University’s Role: Report the incident through official channels, but do not rely on the university’s process alone. Their interests and yours may not align.
• Seek Specialized Legal Counsel Early: Hazing cases are uniquely complex. Contact a firm with specific experience in this area. Avoid common mistakes that can damage a case.

For Students/Victims:

• Your Safety is Paramount: If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Most states and schools have “medical amnesty” policies to protect those who call for help.
• You Are Not to Blame: “Consent” under pressure, coercion, and fear of exclusion is not valid consent under the law.
• Preserve Evidence: Screenshot everything. Take photos of injuries. Save any physical objects. Do not delete anything.
• Seek Support: Confidential resources include university counseling centers and the National Anti-Hazing Hotline at 1-888-NOT-HAZE.

For Witnesses or Former Members:

If you participated in or witnessed hazing and are struggling with guilt or fear, know that coming forward can prevent future harm. An attorney can advise you on your rights and protections as a cooperating witness.

Critical Mistakes That Can Derail a Hazing Case

1. Deleting Evidence: Pressuring your child to “clean up” group chats or social media can be seen as obstruction and destroys your case.
2. Confronting the Organization Directly: This triggers their defense strategy, leading to evidence destruction and witness coaching.
3. Signing University Settlement Offers Quickly: Universities may offer quick, low-value resolutions that require waiving your right to sue. Do not sign anything without an attorney’s review.
4. Posting on Social Media: Public posts can be used by the defense to attack credibility and waive privacy protections.
5. Delay: Evidence disappears, witnesses become uncooperative, and statutes of limitations impose strict deadlines. In Alabama, the time limit for filing a personal injury lawsuit is generally two years. Learn more about statutes of limitations.

Why Attorney911 for Conecuh County Hazing Cases

We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, operating as Attorney911, the Legal Emergency Lawyers™. While our physical offices are in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas, we serve hazing victims and their families nationwide. We do this through direct representation in Texas cases, and through co-counsel relationships with experienced local attorneys in other states, including Alabama. This model allows us to bring our specialized hazing litigation expertise to your case while ensuring all local procedural rules are expertly managed.

Our specific qualifications for hazing cases include:

• Active, High-Stakes Litigation: We are currently lead counsel in the Leonel Bermudez v. UH & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit—a $10 million case against a major university and national fraternity. We are in the fight right now.
• Insider Insurance Knowledge: Mr. Lupe Peña spent years as a defense attorney for a national insurance firm. He knows how fraternity and university insurers think, strategize, and attempt to deny claims. This knowledge is invaluable in negotiation and litigation.
• Experience Against Institutional Giants: Ralph Manginello’s background in the BP Texas City explosion litigation means our firm is accustomed to facing well-funded, powerful defendants with endless legal resources.
• Comprehensive Investigative Resources: We have a network of experts—digital forensic specialists, medical professionals, economists, and life-care planners—that we deploy to build an unassailable case.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña is fluent in Spanish (Se habla Español), ensuring we can serve all families with comfort and clarity.

Your Path Forward: A Confidential Consultation

If hazing has impacted your family in Conecuh County, you do not have to navigate this alone. The path to accountability begins with a conversation.

We offer a free, completely confidential consultation to every family that contacts us. In this consultation, we will:

• Listen carefully to your story.
• Review any evidence you have already gathered.
• Explain the legal options available to you, both in Alabama and through federal courts.
• Discuss how our national hazing litigation experience can be applied to your situation.
• Outline potential strategies and realistic timelines.
• Explain our contingency fee structure—you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

You are under no obligation to hire us after this talk. Our goal is to provide you with the information and clarity you need to make the best decision for your family.

Contact Attorney911 Today:

• Call our 24/7 line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
• Direct Line: (713) 528-9070
• Email Ralph Manginello: ralph@atty911.com
• Email Lupe Peña (Se habla Español): lupe@atty911.com
• Visit our website: https://attorney911.com

For Conecuh County families in Evergreen, Range, Brooklyn, Repton, and all surrounding communities: the trauma of hazing is profound, but it does not have to be the end of your child’s story. Justice, accountability, and prevention are possible. Let us help you take the first step.

Legal Disclaimer

This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC.

Hazing laws, university policies, and legal precedents can change. The information in this guide is current as of late 2025 but may not reflect the most recent developments. Every hazing case is unique, and outcomes depend on the specific facts, evidence, applicable law, and many other factors.

If you or your child has been affected by hazing, we strongly encourage you to consult with a qualified attorney who can review your specific situation, explain your legal rights, and advise you on the best course of action for your family.

The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911
Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas
Call: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com