Hazing Litigation in Texas: A Comprehensive Guide for Lacy-Lakeview and McLennan County Families

If Your Child Was Hazed: Immediate Help for Lacy-Lakeview Parents

Picture a Baylor University student from right here in Lacy-Lakeview. It’s a Thursday night at an off-campus fraternity house near Waco. Your child, eager to belong, stands in a line with other pledges. Older members shove a bottle into their hands—”Finish it, or you’re out.” The room chants. Phones record everything. Hours later, your child stumbles back to their dorm, confused and in pain, afraid to tell anyone what happened because “everyone else went through it.” The next morning, they can’t stand up. Their urine is brown. You get the call no parent wants: “Your child is in the emergency room.”

This isn’t a hypothetical scenario. Right now, in Houston, our firm is leading one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas: Leonel Bermudez v. University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi (Beta Nu chapter). In late 2025, we filed a $10 million lawsuit alleging that Bermudez, a transfer student pledging Pi Kappa Phi at UH, was subjected to extreme physical hazing that caused rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure, requiring four days of hospitalization. The alleged conduct included being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” forced consumption of milk and hot dogs until vomiting, lying in vomit-soaked grass, and enduring 100+ push-ups and 500 squats in a single session. The Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter has since been shut down.

For parents in Lacy-Lakeview, Woodway, Hewitt, and across McLennan County, this case proves that catastrophic hazing is happening at Texas universities right now. Your child at Baylor, Texas A&M, UT Austin, or any other campus could be at risk. This comprehensive guide explains what hazing looks like in 2025, your legal rights under Texas law, and how our firm helps families in Lacy-Lakeview and throughout Texas seek accountability and justice.

IMMEDIATE HELP FOR HAZING EMERGENCIES IN MCLENNAN COUNTY:

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for medical emergencies (Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest is closest to Lacy-Lakeview)
• 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 at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center or Providence Health Center
• Preserve evidence BEFORE it’s deleted:
  • Screenshot GroupMe, WhatsApp, and text messages immediately
  • Photograph injuries from multiple angles
  • Save physical items (clothing, paddles, receipts)
• Write down everything while memory is fresh (who, what, when, where)
• Do NOT:
  • Confront the fraternity/sorority at Baylor or elsewhere
  • Sign anything from Baylor University or any 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 (deleted group chats, destroyed paddles, coached witnesses)
• Universities move quickly to control the narrative
• We can help preserve evidence and protect your child’s rights
• Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for immediate consultation

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

Hazing has evolved far beyond the stereotypes of “boys will be boys” pranks. For Lacy-Lakeview families with children at Baylor, Texas A&M, UT Austin, or other Texas campuses, understanding modern hazing practices is critical to recognizing danger signs.

A Modern Definition of Hazing

Hazing is any forced, coerced, or strongly pressured action tied to joining, keeping membership, or gaining status in a group, where the behavior endangers physical or mental health, humiliates, or exploits. Crucially, “I agreed to it” does not automatically make it safe or legal when there is peer pressure and power imbalance. Texas law explicitly states that consent is not a defense to hazing.

Main Categories of Hazing in Today’s College Environment

Alcohol and Substance Hazing
This remains the most common and deadliest form. At Baylor, Texas A&M, and across Texas, practices include forced chugging challenges, “lineups” where pledges drink in rapid succession, “Big/Little” nights where new members are given handles of liquor, and drinking games framed as “Bible study” or trivia where wrong answers mean forced consumption. The Leonel Bermudez case at UH involved forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, followed immediately by sprints.

Physical Hazing
Far beyond “conditioning,” this includes:

• Paddling and beatings (still prevalent despite national prohibitions)
• Extreme calisthenics or “smokings” designed to cause collapse
• Sleep deprivation through all-night “study sessions” or 3 AM wake-up calls
• Food/water restriction or forced overconsumption
• Exposure to extreme elements (cold showers, outdoor exposure in underwear)

In the UH Pi Kappa Phi case, Bermudez was forced to lie in vomit-soaked grass and endure cold-weather workouts in his underwear. Another pledge was allegedly hog-tied face-down on a table with an object in his mouth for over an hour.

Sexualized and Humiliating Hazing
This devastating category includes forced nudity or partial nudity, simulated sexual acts, degrading costumes or positions (like the “roasted pig” position alleged in Texas A&M Corps cases), and acts with racial or sexist overtones. The psychological damage from this hazing can be more lasting than physical injuries.

Psychological Hazing
Verbal abuse, threats, isolation from non-members, manipulation, forced confessions, and public shaming in meetings or on social media create environments where students feel trapped and powerless.

Digital/Online Hazing
The 2025 landscape includes:

• Group chat dares on GroupMe, WhatsApp, or Discord
• “Challenges” requiring embarrassing TikTok or Instagram posts
• Pressure to create or share compromising images/videos
• 24/7 availability demands with immediate response expectations
• Location tracking via Find My Friends or Snapchat Maps

Where Hazing Actually Happens in Texas

While fraternities and sororities receive most attention, hazing occurs in multiple organizations where Lacy-Lakeview students participate:

• Fraternities and Sororities (IFC, Panhellenic, NPHC, multicultural groups at Baylor, Texas A&M, UT, etc.)
• Corps of Cadets / ROTC (Texas A&M’s Corps has faced multiple lawsuits)
• Spirit Squads and Tradition Clubs (Texas Cowboys, cheer teams, etc.)
• Athletic Teams (from football to club sports)
• Marching Bands and Performance Groups
• Academic and Service Organizations

The common threads are social status, tradition, and secrecy—factors that keep these practices alive even when everyone “knows” hazing is illegal.

Texas Law & Liability Framework: What Lacy-Lakeview Families Need to Know

Texas Hazing Law Basics (Education Code Chapter 37)

Texas has specific anti-hazing provisions in the Education Code that protect students at Baylor and all Texas universities. For McLennan County families, understanding these laws is the first step toward accountability.

Definition (Texas Education Code § 37.151):
Hazing means any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, on or off campus, by one person alone or with others, directed against a student, that:

• Endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student, AND
• Occurs for the purpose of pledging, initiation into, affiliation with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in any organization whose members include students.

Key Points for Lacy-Lakeview Families: