Hazing Litigation Guide for Giddings, Texas Families: Understanding Your Rights and Options

If you are a parent in Giddings, Texas, watching your child leave home for college is a mix of pride and worry. You hope they find community and success at schools like Texas A&M, the University of Texas at Austin, or the University of Houston. The last thing you expect is a phone call that your child has been hospitalized, harmed by the very group they hoped would be their new family. Right now, in Houston, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history, representing Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who suffered kidney failure after alleged abuse by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. This case is a stark reminder that hazing is not a distant problem—it is a present danger for students from Giddings, Lee County, and across Central Texas.

This comprehensive guide is written for you—the parents and families in Giddings, Ledbetter, Dime Box, and throughout Lee County. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, the legal framework in Texas, the sobering national history of fraternity and sorority abuse, and what options your family has if the unthinkable happens. At Attorney911, The Manginello Law Firm, we are Texas-based hazing litigation specialists. We serve families across our state, including those right here in Giddings who have children at universities near and far. We are already leading the fight in Texas courtrooms, and we are here to help you understand, navigate, and seek accountability.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR A HAZING EMERGENCY:
If your child is in danger right now, call 911. For immediate legal guidance, call Attorney911 at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™, and we provide urgent help 24/7. In the first 48 hours: get medical attention, preserve all digital evidence (screenshot group chats, photograph injuries), write down everything you remember, and contact an experienced hazing attorney. Do not confront the organization, sign anything from the university, or post details on social media.

Hazing in 2025: What It Really Looks Like for Texas Students

Hazing is no longer the crude stereotype of simple pranks. It is a calculated, often digitally-coordinated pattern of abuse designed to test loyalty through humiliation, exhaustion, and pain. For students from Giddings attending large universities, the pressure to belong can make them vulnerable to behaviors that are both illegal and dangerously normalized within certain groups.

Modern hazing typically falls into three escalating categories. First, subtle hazing, which includes forced servitude like being on call 24/7 for errands, mandatory “study blocks” that interfere with academics, and social isolation from non-members. Second, harassment hazing, involving sleep deprivation, verbal abuse, forced consumption of unpalatable foods, and strenuous, punitive physical activity disguised as “conditioning.” Third, violent hazing, which encompasses forced alcohol consumption to the point of poisoning, physical beatings or paddling, dangerous “rituals,” and sexualized humiliation.

The tactics have evolved. Much of the planning and coercion now happens in digital spaces—GroupMe chats, Snapchat groups, and Instagram DMs—where threats are made, humiliating content is shared, and evidence can be deleted with a tap. Activities are often moved off-campus to Airbnbs or private rentals in areas like the rural outskirts of Lee County or nearby counties to avoid university oversight. The language is sanitized; it’s called “team building,” “tradition,” or “new member education.” But for a student from a tight-knit community like Giddings, the result is the same: trauma, injury, and a shattered sense of safety.

The Texas Legal Framework: Criminal and Civil Liability

Texas takes hazing seriously under Education Code Chapter 37. The law defines hazing broadly as any intentional, knowing, or reckless act—on or off campus—that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation, affiliation, or membership. Critically, consent is not a defense. Even if your child felt pressure to “go along with it,” the law recognizes the inherent power imbalance and coercion in these situations.

Criminal penalties can range from a Class B misdemeanor to a state jail felony if the hazing causes serious bodily injury or death. Individuals can also be charged for failing to report hazing or for retaliating against those who do. Organizations themselves can be fined up to $10,000. Beyond criminal court, families have the right to pursue civil litigation. This is where true accountability and recovery for medical expenses, trauma, and loss are often found. Civil lawsuits can target not only the individual students who carried out the acts but also the local chapter, the national fraternity or sorority headquarters, the university, and property owners.

Federal laws also come into play. The Stop Campus Hazing Act requires greater transparency from universities. Title IX can be triggered if hazing involves sexual harassment, and the Clery Act mandates reporting of certain campus crimes. For a family in Giddings, this means multiple layers of potential liability and multiple avenues for seeking justice, whether the harm occurred at a school in College Station, Austin, or Houston.

National Hazing Cases: Patterns That Repeat in Texas

The tragic stories that make national headlines are not isolated; they are blueprints that repeat. Understanding them shows how predictable and preventable these incidents are.

The alcohol poisoning pattern is the deadliest. Cases like Timothy Piazza at Penn State (Beta Theta Pi), Max Gruver at LSU (Phi Delta Theta), and Stone Foltz at Bowling Green State (Pi Kappa Alpha) all follow a similar script: a “bid night” or “big brother” event, coerced rapid consumption of alcohol, a devastating medical emergency, and a dangerous delay in calling for help. These cases have led to multi-million dollar settlements and new state laws, like Louisiana’s Max Gruver Act.

The physical hazing pattern is equally brutal. Chun “Michael” Deng, a Baruch College student, died from traumatic brain injuries during a Pi Delta Psi “glass ceiling” ritual at a remote retreat. The national fraternity was convicted of criminal charges. In athletic programs, the Northwestern University football scandal revealed systemic, sexualized hazing, proving abuse extends far beyond Greek life.

These national patterns matter for Giddings families because the same national organizations—Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta—have active chapters at every major Texas university. The “traditions” that led to death in Ohio or Louisiana are the same rituals whispered about in chapter houses in College Station and Austin. This establishes foreseeability, a key legal concept showing these organizations knew or should have known the extreme risks of their activities.

Texas Universities: A Closer Look for Giddings Families

Families in Giddings and Lee County often send their children to a range of Texas institutions, from the massive flagship campuses to regional schools. The hazing risk exists across this spectrum. Here is what parents need to know about the environments at some of the most common destinations.

Texas A&M University

For many in Central Texas, Texas A&M in College Station is a top choice. Its strong tradition includes a prominent Corps of Cadets and a vast Greek life system. This combination can heighten hazing risks rooted in rigid hierarchies and tradition. Notably, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter at A&M faced a major lawsuit where pledges alleged they were doused with industrial-strength cleaner and other substances, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts. Separately, a Corps of Cadets lawsuit alleged degrading hazing, including a student being bound in a “roasted pig” position. These cases show hazing permeates both Greek and military-style organizations at A&M. The university has conduct procedures, but the scale of the campus can allow dangerous subcultures to persist.

University of Texas at Austin

UT Austin offers a different but equally high-risk environment. The university maintains a relatively transparent public hazing violations log. Recent entries show recurring issues: Pi Kappa Alpha was sanctioned for forcing new members to consume milk and perform extreme calisthenics. Other spirit groups and fraternities have been disciplined for alcohol-related hazing and forced workouts. UT’s public log is a valuable tool; it demonstrates the university has documented knowledge of ongoing problems, which can be critical evidence in a civil case. For a student from Giddings, the social pressure to join a prestigious organization on a competitive campus like UT can be immense.

University of Houston

Our firm is currently engaged in a major hazing lawsuit at UH, which underscores the severe risks present. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a student who allegedly endured months of abuse from the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter, including forced wearing of a humiliating “pledge fanny pack,” sleep deprivation, being sprayed with a hose “like waterboarding,” and extreme physical workouts. This culminated in rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure, requiring hospitalization. The chapter has been shut down. This active case is a clear example of how systemic hazing can operate in Houston, a common destination for students from across Texas, including the Giddings area.

Baylor University & Southern Methodist University

Private universities like Baylor in Waco and SMU in Dallas are not immune. Baylor’s baseball team faced a hazing scandal resulting in multiple player suspensions. SMU’s Kappa Alpha Order chapter was suspended for paddling and forced drinking. The private status of these schools can sometimes mean less public transparency, but it does not diminish their legal duties or liability.

The Organizations Behind the Letters: National Histories Matter

When your child joins a fraternity or sorority, they are not just joining a local club. They are joining a national brand with a history—and often, a history of hazing. This national connection is a cornerstone of liability. The data from our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine reveals the extensive network of formally registered Greek organizations across our state. For example, public IRS records show entities like the “Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc” in Frisco and the “Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc” in Fort Worth. These are the legal and financial structures that support chapters on campus.

National headquarters collect dues, set policies, and provide (or fail to provide) oversight. When a chapter at UT or A&M repeats a hazing method that has already caused death at another campus, the national organization cannot plausibly claim ignorance. Their own anti-hazing manuals exist precisely because these dangers are foreseeable. In litigation, we subpoena these national records to show a pattern of prior incidents, inadequate enforcement of policies, and constructive knowledge of the risks. This pattern evidence is what can hold the deep-pocketed national entities accountable, not just the undergraduate members.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Recovery

If your family is facing this crisis, knowing how a case is built can empower you. The first 72 hours are critical for evidence preservation. Digital evidence is paramount: screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp), social media posts, and location tags. Photograph injuries over several days and seek medical care immediately, ensuring the doctor notes the cause as “hazing.” Write down a detailed timeline with names. Do not delete anything.

A comprehensive investigation will look beyond the immediate actors. Using resources like our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, we identify all potentially liable parties: the individual members, the local chapter corporation, the national headquarters, the university, and even the owners of off-campus properties. We work with digital forensics experts to recover deleted messages, with medical experts to document long-term harm, and with economists to calculate lifelong impacts in catastrophic injury or wrongful death cases.

Damages in a civil hazing case can include past and future medical expenses, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. In wrongful death cases, families can seek recovery for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and their own emotional anguish. While no amount of money undoes the harm, a substantial settlement or verdict can provide necessary resources for recovery and send a powerful message to prevent future abuse.

Practical Guidance for Giddings Parents and Students

For Parents: Warning Signs and Steps

Your child may be reluctant to admit they are being hazed. Be alert to: unexplained injuries or exhaustion, sudden secrecy about group activities, personality changes (anxiety, withdrawal), constant stress over group chat notifications, and declining academic performance. If you suspect something, ask open, non-judgmental questions: “Does anything you’re doing to join make you uncomfortable?” “Are you able to get enough sleep and keep up with your studies?”

If you discover hazing:

1. Prioritize Safety and Health: Get medical attention.
2. Preserve Evidence: Help your child screenshot everything. Photograph injuries.
3. Document: Write a detailed account.
4. Report Carefully: You can report to the university’s Dean of Students and/or campus police, but consult with an attorney first to understand the implications.
5. Seek Legal Counsel: Contact a hazing litigation firm like ours for a confidential case evaluation before making any statements or signing anything.

For Students: Your Rights and Safety

You have the right to be safe. If an activity feels dangerous, humiliating, or coercive, it likely is hazing. Texas law protects good-faith reporters; you can call for help in an emergency without fear of minor-in-possession charges. If you want to leave the group, you can. Send a clear written resignation and alert a trusted adult or campus authority. Your safety and well-being are more important than any organization.

Critical Mistakes to Avoid

• Deleting Evidence: It may feel embarrassing, but those digital messages are crucial.
• Confronting the Chapter Directly: This gives them a head start to destroy evidence and fabricate a story.
• Signing University “Resolution” Agreements: These often waive your right to sue for inadequate compensation.
• Posting on Social Media: Defense attorneys scour social media for inconsistencies.
• Waiting Too Long: Evidence disappears, witnesses scatter, and statutes of limitations apply.

Why Attorney911 for Giddings Hazing Cases

When your family is in crisis, you need advocates who understand both the profound human cost and the complex legal battlefield. The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC, operating as Attorney911, brings a unique combination of insider knowledge and proven tenacity to hazing litigation.

We Are Already Fighting the Fight in Texas. Right now, we are lead counsel in the Leonel Bermudez v. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit—a $10 million case alleging horrific abuse leading to kidney failure. This isn’t theoretical knowledge; this is active, frontline experience holding a major Texas university and a national fraternity accountable.

Insider Insurance Knowledge. Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as a defense attorney for national insurance companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers evaluate claims, deploy delay tactics, and argue coverage exclusions. We know their playbook because Mr. Peña helped write it. This insight is invaluable in maximizing recovery for our clients.

Experience Against Giant Institutions. Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation, taking on a billion-dollar corporation. We are not intimidated by deep-pocketed universities or national fraternities. We have the federal court experience and resources to conduct the exhaustive investigations these cases require.

A Data-Driven Advantage. Beyond the flagship Bermudez case, we utilize our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—a proprietary compilation of public data on over 1,400 Greek organizations in Texas. This allows us to quickly map the network of liability, identifying local housing corporations, alumni chapters, and national entities that other firms might miss. For a family in Giddings, this means we start with knowledge, not from zero.

Comprehensive, Compassionate Advocacy. We handle the full spectrum of damages, from emergency medical bills to lifelong care needs and emotional trauma. We work with experts in medicine, psychology, and economics to build the strongest possible case. We also understand the need for sensitivity and discretion for families who wish to avoid public scrutiny.

Your Next Step: A Confidential Consultation

If you are a parent in Giddings, Lexington, or anywhere in Lee County searching for answers after a hazing incident, you do not have to navigate this alone. The path to accountability and recovery begins with a conversation.

We offer a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation. We will listen carefully to your story, review any evidence you have, explain the legal landscape in plain English, and outline your family’s potential options. We handle cases on a contingency fee basis—you pay no attorney fees unless we secure a recovery for you.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911 Today:

• Call our Legal Emergency Line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
• Direct Line: (713) 528-9070
• Website: https://attorney911.com
• Email: ralph@atty911.com | For Spanish-speaking families: lupe@atty911.com (Se habla Español)

We represent hazing victims and their families across Texas. Whether your child was hurt at a university in Houston, College Station, Austin, or beyond, we have the experience, data, and determination to fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.

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 for a consultation regarding your individual situation.