The Complete Texas Hazing Guide for Hallsville Families: Protecting Your Student at ETBU, Texas A&M, and Beyond

If you are a parent in Hallsville, Texas, you have likely invested years of love, sacrifice, and hope in your child’s future. You may have watched them graduate from Hallsville High School or a neighboring Longview school, filled with pride as they headed off to further their education. The dream is simple: a safe campus, good friends, and a bright future.

Now, imagine receiving a phone call in the dead of night. Your child’s voice is slurred, frightened, or they cannot speak at all. They’re in an emergency room miles away, suffering from kidney failure after being forced through brutal workouts. Or perhaps they’re whispering about humiliating rituals, sleep deprivation, and threats from the very organization they trusted to provide brotherhood or sisterhood.

This nightmare became a devastating reality for the family of Leonel Bermudez, a student at the University of Houston. In a $10 million lawsuit filed in late 2025, Attorney911 (Ralph Manginello & Lupe Peña) alleges that Bermudez endured months of systematic hazing as a pledge of the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. According to media reports, the hazing included being forced to carry a degrading “pledge fanny pack” 24/7, enduring “waterboarding-like” hose spraying, performing hundreds of push-ups and squats under threat of expulsion, and consuming excessive amounts of food until vomiting. The alleged result was catastrophic: rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure, leading to brown urine, a four-day hospitalization, and the risk of permanent kidney damage. The Pi Kappa Phi chapter was swiftly suspended and then shut down.

This is not an isolated incident from a distant state. It happened at a major Texas university, and it demonstrates a harsh truth: hazing is a present and dangerous reality on campuses across our state, including those where our Hallsville and Harrison County students enroll.

This comprehensive guide is written specifically for you—the parents, families, and students of Hallsville and all of Harrison County. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, break down Texas law and your family’s rights, examine the realities at universities from East Texas Baptist to Texas A&M, and outline the difficult but necessary path toward accountability and healing. Our goal at Attorney911 is to ensure you never face this crisis alone.

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’re the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.
• In the first 48 hours:
  • Get medical attention immediately, even if your student insists they are “fine.”
  • Preserve evidence BEFORE it’s deleted:
    • Screenshot group chats, texts, and social media DMs immediately.
    • Photograph injuries from multiple angles.
    • Save physical items (clothing, receipts, objects used in hazing).
  • Write down everything while memory is fresh (who, what, when, where).
  • Do NOT:
    • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team directly.
    • Sign anything from the university or an insurance company.
    • Post details on public social media.
    • Let your child delete messages or “clean up” evidence.
• Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours. Evidence disappears fast. We can help preserve it and protect your child’s rights. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, immediate consultation.

Hazing in 2025: What It Really Looks Like in Texas

For many Hallsville families, “hazing” might conjure images of outdated movie scenes—silly pranks or mild embarrassment. The reality in 2025 is far more sinister, systematic, and often digitally enabled. Hazing is any coerced activity expected of someone joining or maintaining status in a group, that endangers mental or physical health or is humiliating or degrading.

Texas law (Education Code Chapter 37) defines it broadly: any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers a student’s physical or mental health for the purpose of initiation or affiliation. Crucially, a victim’s “consent” is not a defense.

The Modern Hazing Spectrum

1. Subtle Hazing (Often Dismissed as “Tradition”)
This establishes power imbalances and sets the stage for worse abuse. It includes:

• Mandatory Servitude: Acting as a 24/7 on-call driver, cleaning members’ rooms, or running personal errands.
• Social Control: Being forced to cut contact with non-members, ask permission to socialize, or adhere to strict, humiliating dress codes.
• Digital Monitoring: Required to have location-sharing apps (like Find My Friends) active at all times and to respond instantly to group chat messages, even at 3 AM.

2. Harassment Hazing (Causing Clear Discomfort & Harm)

• Sleep Deprivation: “Study blocks” or meetings that last all night, mandatory dawn workouts at places like Yellowstone Boulevard Park (as in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case).
• Psychological Abuse: “Interviews” designed to degrade, verbal abuse, and threats of expulsion for non-compliance.
• Forced Consumption: Being made to eat or drink unpleasant, excessive, or bizarre substances (e.g., milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, as alleged in the Bermudez case).

3. Violent Hazing (High Risk of Severe Injury or Death)

• Physical Brutality: “Workouts” or “smokings” involving extreme calisthenics (100+ push-ups, 500+ squats), paddling, bear crawls, and “save-your-brother” drills.
• Alcohol Hazing: The most common cause of death. This includes “Big/Little” nights with forced bottle consumption, drinking games like “Bible study” where wrong answers mean drinking, and lineups.
• Sexualized & Humiliating Acts: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, being hog-tied or restrained, and degrading costumes or roles.
• Environmental Danger: Exposure to extreme cold (in underwear), lying in vomit-soaked grass, or being sprayed with a hose under pressure.

For Hallsville parents, the key takeaway is that hazing is rarely a single event. It is a campaign of control that escalates over weeks or months, breaking down a student’s will and isolating them from their support system, making them feel they have no choice but to endure it.

Texas Hazing Law & Liability: What Hallsville Families Need to Know

When hazing impacts your family, understanding the legal landscape is crucial. Texas has specific statutes, and federal laws add another layer of protection and complexity.

Texas Education Code Chapter 37: The Anti-Hazing Statute

This is the core Texas law governing hazing. For Hallsville families, its key provisions include:

• Broad Definition: Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, on or off campus, that endangers a student’s physical or mental health for the purpose of initiation or affiliation into a group.
• Criminal Penalties:
  • Class B Misdemeanor: Basic hazing (up to 180 days jail, $2,000 fine).
  • Class A Misdemeanor: Hazing that causes bodily injury.
  • State Jail Felony: Hazing that causes serious bodily injury or death.
• Consent is NO Defense: Texas law (§37.155) explicitly states that the victim’s consent is not a defense. This directly counters the common excuse, “They wanted to do it.”
• Individual & Organizational Liability: Both the people who commit the acts and the organization itself (like a fraternity chapter) can be charged and fined.
• Immunity for Good-Faith Reporting: Those who report hazing or call for medical help in good faith are protected from prosecution related to that reporting.

Civil Liability: The Path to Accountability & Compensation

A criminal case is brought by the state to punish wrongdoing. A civil lawsuit, which our firm handles, is brought by the victim or their family to recover damages and hold all responsible parties accountable. These can proceed simultaneously.

In a civil hazing case, we look to build liability against a full “universe” of defendants:

1. The Individual Perpetrators: The members who planned, executed, or covered up the hazing.
2. The Local Chapter: As an entity that allowed a culture of abuse to flourish.
3. The National Organization: Headquarters that collect dues, set policies, and often have deep knowledge of prior similar incidents at other chapters yet fail to adequately supervise. (In the Bermudez case, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters is a named defendant.)
4. The University: Institutions like UH, Texas A&M, or ETBU may be liable for negligent supervision if they knew or should have known about a dangerous culture and failed to act. Universities own or control property, sponsor organizations, and have a duty to protect students.
5. Third Parties: This can include alumni housing corporations that own chapter houses, or even landlords of off-campus Airbnb rentals used for hazing retreats.

Federal Law Overlay: Title IX, Clery, and the Stop Campus Hazing Act

• Title IX: If hazing involves sexual harassment or assault (which it often does), federal Title IX obligations require the university to investigate and address the hostile environment.
• Clery Act: Requires universities to report certain campus crime statistics, which can include hazing-related assaults.
• Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024): This new federal law requires increased transparency, pushing colleges to publicly report hazing incidents and outcomes, giving families more data.

National Hazing Cases: The Patterns That Repeat in Texas

The tragic case at the University of Houston is not an anomaly. It fits into a decades-long, national pattern of institutional failure. Understanding these patterns is key to proving that what happened to your child was foreseeable—and preventable.

The Alcohol Poisoning Pattern

• Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died after a bid-acceptance night of extreme drinking. Brothers delayed calling 911 for hours. Resulted in the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law in Pennsylvania.
• Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died during a “Bible study” drinking game. Led to Louisiana’s Max Gruver Act, a felony hazing statute.
• Stone Foltz (Bowling Green, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): Died after being forced to drink a bottle of liquor. His family reached a $10 million settlement with the national fraternity and university.

The Physical & Ritualized Brutality Pattern

• Chun “Michael” Deng (Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi, 2013): Died from traumatic brain injury after a blindfolded, violent “glass ceiling” ritual at a retreat. The national fraternity was criminally convicted.
• Danny Santulli (Univ. of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage from alcohol hazing. His family has settled with numerous defendants.

What This Means for Hallsville Families

These national cases create legal precedents and demonstrate pattern evidence. When a fraternity at UT Austin, Texas A&M, or ETBU uses the same dangerous “tradition” that killed a student at another school, it becomes much harder for that national organization to claim it “had no idea” such risks existed. This pattern evidence is a powerful tool in building a compelling civil case for accountability.

Texas Universities: A Hallsville Family’s Guide to Campus Realities

Hallsville students often pursue higher education close to home or at major state institutions. Understanding the specific landscape at these schools is critical for prevention and response.

Local & Regional Campuses for Harrison County

East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) – Marshall, TX
Just a short drive from Hallsville in neighboring Marshall, ETBU is a common choice for local students.

• Culture & Oversight: As a private Baptist university, ETBU promotes a close-knit, faith-based community. Greek life exists but within a framework of strict student conduct policies aligned with religious values.
• Hazing Risk Context: While the environment is more controlled, hazing can still occur in any group where power imbalances exist—including athletic teams, ministry groups, or social clubs. The insular nature of a small campus can sometimes increase pressure to conform and discourage reporting.
• For Hallsville Parents: You have the advantage of proximity. Maintain open communication with your student about their social group dynamics. Any sudden changes in behavior, unexplained injuries, or excessive secrecy about group activities should be taken seriously. ETBU’s administration may be more accessible for concerned parents than at a massive state school.

Wiley University – Marshall, TX
Another Marshall institution with historical significance.

• Greek Life Context: Wiley has National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC or “Divine Nine”) organizations. Hazing within NPHC organizations, while strictly prohibited by national policies, has been documented nationally and often involves physical paddling or strenuous line-ups.
• Action for Parents: Have frank discussions with your student about the difference between official membership intake processes (which are non-hazing) and underground “probate” or “yard” traditions. Encourage them to report any pressure to participate in secret activities immediately to campus authorities.

Major Texas Universities Attended by Hallsville Students

Many Hallsville graduates head to larger state schools. The Greek life and organizational cultures at these institutions are extensive and complex.

Texas A&M University – College Station

• Documented Incidents: Texas A&M has faced serious allegations, including a Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) lawsuit where pledges alleged being doused with industrial cleaner, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts. The Corps of Cadets has also faced litigation over alleged degrading hazing rituals.
• For Hallsville Parents: The Aggie network is powerful, but the scale of Greek life and the Corps can create environments where harmful traditions persist. Ask specific questions about “new member education,” workout routines, and overnight activities. The university’s student conduct office manages reports.

University of Texas at Austin

• Transparency Note: UT Austin maintains a public online log of hazing violations, which is more transparent than many schools. Recent entries include sanctions against Pi Kappa Alpha for forced milk consumption and calisthenics, and other groups for alcohol hazing and strenuous workouts.
• For Hallsville Parents: You can proactively check this public log to see if an organization your child is interested in has a recent history of violations. This documented history can become critical evidence if your child is harmed.

University of Houston

• The Active Case: As detailed, the Leonel Bermudez vs. Pi Kappa Phi case is a current, high-stakes example of severe hazing litigation right here in Texas. It shows the potential for catastrophic injury (rhabdomyolysis, kidney failure) from physical hazing masked as “workouts.”
• Greek Life Scope: UH has a large, diverse Greek community encompassing IFC fraternities, Panhellenic sororities, and NPHC organizations.
• For Hallsville Parents: This case underscores that even in an urban, commuter-heavy school, dangerous hazing persists. It also demonstrates that chapters can be shut down (as Pi Kappa Phi was) and serious lawsuits can be filed in Harris County courts.

Baylor University & Southern Methodist University (SMU)
As private universities, their processes may differ, but the risks are similar. Baylor has faced hazing issues within its baseball program, and SMU has suspended chapters like Kappa Alpha Order for paddling and alcohol hazing.

The Organizations Behind the Letters: National Histories Matter

When your child is harmed by a fraternity, sorority, or other nationally affiliated group, you are not just fighting a local chapter. You are often confronting a national organization with a history and a playbook. Our litigation investigates this deeply.

Why National Headquarters Are Key Defendants

National organizations like Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, or Pi Kappa Alpha:

• Collect dues from members and chapters.
• Issue insurance policies and risk management guidelines.
• Maintain records of complaints and violations from chapters across the country.
• Have the ultimate authority to suspend or revoke a chapter’s charter.

When a hazing death or severe injury occurs at one chapter, it is almost invariably a repeat of a pattern that has happened before at other chapters of the same fraternity. This establishes foreseeability—the national org knew or should have known this could happen. Their failure to implement effective supervision and enforcement can form the basis for negligence claims against them.

Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: Mapping the Ecosystem

For Hallsville families, it’s important to know that these aren’t just social clubs; they are often legal entities. As part of our investigative process, we utilize a comprehensive data engine built from public records to identify every potentially liable organization. For example, in the East Texas and statewide landscape, public filings show a network of registered entities:

A Snapshot from Public Records:

• Epsilon Nu Housing Corporation (EIN: 237359384) – Lubbock, TX 79401
• Kappa Sigma – Mu Gamma Chapter Inc (EIN: 273662583) – Lufkin, TX 75904
• Alpha Tau Omega Housing Corporation of Eta Iota Chapter (EIN: 300517788) – Nacogdoches, TX 75965
• Pi Kappa Phi Delta Omega Chapter Building Corporation (EIN: 371768785) – Missouri City, TX 77459
• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc (EIN: 462267515) – Frisco, TX 75035 (Related to the UH chapter at the center of our active case)
• Sigma Chi Fraternity Zeta Eta (EIN: 756060974) – Commerce, TX 75429 (Texas A&M University-Commerce)

In the broader Longview metro area and across Texas, databases track over 1,400 Greek-related organizations. This complex web includes undergraduate chapters, alumni associations, housing corporations, and educational foundations—all of which can be sources of insurance coverage and accountability. We don’t start from scratch; we use this intelligence to immediately identify the full scope of entities behind an organization that has caused harm.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and damages

If your family is facing this crisis, knowing how a case is built can empower you during an overwhelming time. Our approach at Attorney911 is methodical, thorough, and draws on our unique experience.

Critical Evidence Preservation

The digital age means evidence is abundant but fleeting. The first 48 hours are critical.

• Digital Communications: Screenshot everything. GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram DMs, Snapchat memories. These chats often show planning, boasting, threats, and cover-up attempts.
• Photos & Videos: Media from hazing events is often shared within groups. Save it.
• Medical Records: Go to the ER or a doctor. Tell them exactly what happened: “I was hazed. I was forced to exercise/drink.” This creates a crucial link in the medical record.
• Physical Evidence: Do not wash clothing stained with vomit, blood, or chemicals. Keep any paddles, props, or “pledge packs.”
• Witness List: Write down the names and contact information of everyone involved or present.

Our Strategic Advantages for Texas Families

When you choose Attorney911, you are getting a team built for complex institutional fights:

• Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him), spent years as an insurance defense lawyer for a national firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurance companies will try to deny claims, lowball settlements, and drag out cases. We know their playbook because we used to run it.
• Complex Litigation Experience: Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few Texas attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We have faced billion-dollar defendants with endless legal resources. We are not intimidated by national fraternities or large universities.
• Dual Civil & Criminal Insight: Ralph’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand criminal hazing charges, which often run parallel to civil cases. We can advise on interactions with law enforcement and protect your child’s rights comprehensively.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish (Se habla Español), ensuring we can serve all Texas families with comfort and clarity.

Understanding Damages: What Can Be Recovered

A civil lawsuit seeks to make the victim whole and hold defendants accountable. Potential damages include:

• All Medical Expenses: Past and future, including hospital stays, surgery, therapy, and lifelong care for permanent injuries like kidney damage or PTSD.
• Lost Wages & Earning Capacity: If injuries prevent a student from completing their degree or working in their chosen field.
• Pain and Suffering: Physical pain and emotional trauma, including humiliation, anxiety, depression, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages: In the ultimate tragedy, families can seek compensation for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and their own emotional anguish.

Practical Guides for Hallsville Parents, Students, and Witnesses

For Parents: Warning Signs and Steps

Red Flags:

• Unexplained injuries, bruises, or burns.
• Extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation.
• Sudden secrecy about group activities (“I can’t talk about it”).
• Personality changes: anxiety, depression, withdrawal.
• Constant, anxious phone use related to group chats.
• Requests for unusual amounts of money for “fines” or “supplies.”

What to Do:

1. Prioritize Safety & Health: Get medical attention first.
2. Preserve Evidence: Follow the steps above. Do not delete anything.
3. Listen, Don’t Confront: Create a safe space for your child to talk without judgment.
4. Contact an Attorney Early: Before reporting to the university, call us. We can guide you on how to report in a way that protects evidence and your rights.
5. Document University Communications: Keep a record of all interactions with deans, police, or conduct officers.

For Students: Is This Hazing?

If you answer “yes” to any of these, you are likely being hazed:

• Are you being pressured or forced to do something you don’t want to do?
• Would you do this activity if there were no social consequences for refusing?
• Is the activity dangerous, illegal, or degrading?
• Are you told to keep it a secret from the university, your parents, or outsiders?

Your Rights:

• You can leave. You have the legal right to quit any organization at any time.
• Consent is not a defense for them. Texas law protects you even if you “went along with it.”
• You have protections for reporting. Texas law and most school policies offer immunity for good-faith reports, especially when seeking medical help.

Critical Mistakes That Can Harm Your Case

1. Deleting Evidence: The instinct to “make it go away” destroys your case. Preserve everything.
2. Confronting the Organization Directly: This triggers their defense lawyers and leads to evidence destruction.
3. Signing University Agreements Without Counsel: Schools may offer a quick “resolution” that waives your right to sue.
4. Posting on Social Media: Defense attorneys monitor everything. Inconsistencies can be used against you.
5. Waiting Too Long: Evidence disappears, witnesses graduate, memories fade. Texas has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury, but the clock starts ticking immediately.

Why Hallsville Families Choose Attorney911 for Hazing Cases

When your family is in crisis, you need more than a lawyer; you need advocates who understand the depth of your pain and the complexity of the fight ahead. At The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911), we bring a unique combination of compassion, tenacity, and proven skill to hazing litigation.

We are based in Houston but serve families across Texas, including right here in Hallsville and throughout Harrison County. We understand the communities you come from and the campuses your children attend. The Leonel Bermudez case is not just a news story to us—it is our current fight, demonstrating our active, serious commitment to taking on powerful universities and national fraternities.

Our approach is built on a foundation of meticulous investigation. We use our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine to map the entire organizational landscape behind a chapter, leaving no stone unturned in identifying every entity that shares responsibility. We deploy digital forensics to recover deleted evidence, work with medical experts to document the full extent of injuries, and collaborate with economists to understand the lifelong impact on a young person’s future.

We fight not just for compensation, but for meaningful accountability and change. Our goal is to ensure that no other family in Hallsville or anywhere else endures the same trauma.

Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation

If you suspect or know that your child has been hazed at East Texas Baptist University, Wiley University, Texas A&M, UT Austin, the University of Houston, or any other campus, you do not have to navigate this alone.

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation, and completely confidential consultation. We will listen with empathy, explain your legal options in clear terms, and help you make the best decision for your family’s healing and future.

Call Attorney911, the Legal Emergency Lawyers™, 24/7 at 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911).

You can also reach us directly:

• Ralph Manginello: (713) 528-9070 | ralph@atty911.com
• Mr. Lupe Peña: (713) 443-4781 | lupe@atty911.com (Se habla Español)
• Website: https://attorney911.com

We serve Hallsville, Longview, Marshall, and all of Texas. Let us carry the legal burden so you can focus on your family.

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 Texas 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 | lupe@atty911.com