The Complete Guide to Hazing Lawsuits for Matinburg Families: Protecting Your Student at Texas Universities

For families in Matinburg, Upshur County, the pride of sending a child to a Texas university can quickly turn to nightmare when a phone call reveals something has gone terribly wrong. Perhaps your student at the University of Houston mentions being “too sore to walk” after a fraternity event. Maybe your Texas A&M Corps cadet shows unexplained bruises during a visit home. Or your UT Austin student has become withdrawn, anxious, and secretive about their new sorority activities. When what sounds like harmless tradition crosses into dangerous territory, Matinburg parents face confusion, fear, and urgent questions about their child’s safety and their family’s rights.

Right now, in Harris County just a few hours from Matinburg, our firm is leading one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas. We represent Leonel Bermudez in his $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston and the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. His story—being forced through extreme workouts until he developed life-threatening rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure, hospitalized for four days, facing permanent damage—isn’t an isolated incident. It’s proof that severe hazing happens at Texas universities, and that families in our region need experienced legal advocates who understand both the emotional trauma and complex legal battlefield that follows.

This comprehensive guide addresses what Matinburg families actually need: clear explanations of what modern hazing looks like, how Texas law protects students, what’s happening on specific campuses, and what legal options exist when prevention fails. Whether your child attends school nearby or hours from Upshur County, Texas law and experienced Texas counsel can help secure accountability and compensation.

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 the student insists they are “fine”
• Preserve evidence BEFORE it’s deleted:
  • Screenshot group chats, texts, DMs immediately
  • Photograph injuries from multiple angles
  • Save physical items (clothing, receipts, objects)
• Write down everything while memory is fresh (who, what, when, where)
• Do NOT:
  • Confront the fraternity/sorority
  • Sign anything from the university or 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 Matinburg families who may be unfamiliar with modern Greek life and campus organizations, understanding what actually constitutes hazing is crucial. The old stereotypes of harmless pranks have been replaced by systematic, often dangerous practices that organizations have become sophisticated at hiding.

The 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 charges.

Main Categories of Hazing Today

Alcohol and Substance Hazing
This remains the most common and dangerous form. It includes forced or coerced drinking during “bid acceptance” nights, “Big/Little” reveals, or drinking games like the “Bible study” game that killed Max Gruver at LSU. At the University of Houston Pi Kappa Phi chapter, pledges were forced to consume milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, then immediately forced to run sprints.

Physical Hazing
Beyond traditional paddling, this now includes extreme calisthenics framed as “workouts.” In the UH case, Leonel Bermudez was forced through 100+ push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion. Other physical hazing includes sleep deprivation, food/water restriction, exposure to extreme temperatures, and dangerous physical “tests.”

Sexualized and Humiliating Hazing
This includes forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, degrading costumes, and acts with racial or sexist overtones. At Texas A&M, a Corps cadet alleged being bound between beds in a “roasted pig” pose with an apple in his mouth. At UH, pledges carried “pledge fanny packs” containing condoms and sex toys as constant humiliation.

Psychological Hazing
Verbal abuse, threats, isolation, manipulation, and public shaming. Modern psychological hazing often involves social media humiliation, where embarrassing content is posted or shared in group chats.

Digital/Online Hazing
The newest frontier includes group chat dares, “challenges” on Instagram and TikTok, pressure to create compromising content, and 24/7 availability demands via messaging apps. Organizations use digital platforms to maintain constant control over pledges.

Where Hazing Actually Happens

While fraternities and sororities receive most attention, Matinburg families should know hazing occurs in:

• Corps of Cadets/ROTC/military-style groups
• Athletic teams (football, basketball, baseball, cheer, etc.)
• Marching bands and performance groups
• Spirit squads and tradition clubs
• Some service, cultural, and academic organizations

The common thread across all these groups is social status, tradition, and secrecy that keep dangerous practices alive even when everyone “knows” hazing is illegal.

Law & Liability Framework: Texas + Federal

Understanding the legal landscape is essential for Matinburg families considering their options after a hazing incident.

Texas Hazing Law Basics

Under Texas Education Code Chapter 37, Subchapter F, hazing is broadly defined as any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, on or off campus, 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 provisions for Matinburg families:

Criminal Penalties (§37.152):

• Class B Misdemeanor: Hazing that doesn’t cause serious injury (up to 180 days jail, fine up to $2,000)
• Class A Misdemeanor: If hazing causes injury requiring medical treatment
• State Jail Felony: If hazing causes serious bodily injury or death

Organizational Liability (§37.153):
Fraternities, sororities, and other organizations can be criminally prosecuted and fined up to $10,000 per violation if they authorized or encouraged hazing, or if officers knew and failed to report it.

Consent is Not a Defense (§37.155):
Texas law explicitly states that the victim’s consent is not a defense to hazing prosecution. This is crucial for cases where students feel they “agreed” to participate.

Immunity for Good-Faith Reporting (§37.154):
Those who report hazing in good faith are immune from civil or criminal liability. This encourages bystander intervention.

Criminal vs Civil Cases: What Matinburg Families Need to Know

Criminal Cases:

• Brought by the state (district attorney)
• Aim: punishment (jail, fines, probation)
• Typical charges: hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, assault, battery, manslaughter in fatal cases

Civil Cases:

• Brought by victims or surviving families
• Aim: monetary compensation and accountability
• Focus on: negligence, wrongful death, negligent supervision, premises liability, emotional distress

These cases can run simultaneously, and a criminal conviction is not required to pursue a civil case. Many families pursue both tracks to ensure comprehensive accountability.

Federal Law Overlay

Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024):
Requires colleges receiving federal aid to report hazing incidents more transparently, strengthen prevention programs, and maintain public hazing data (phased in by 2026).

Title IX/Clery Act:
When hazing involves sexual harassment, assault, or gender-based hostility, Title IX obligations trigger. The Clery Act requires reporting certain crimes that often overlap with hazing incidents.

Who Can Be Liable in a Civil Hazing Lawsuit

Individual Students:
Those who planned, supplied alcohol, carried out acts, or helped cover them up.

Local Chapter/Organization:
The fraternity/sorority or club itself, plus individuals acting as officers or “pledge educators.”

National Fraternity/Sorority:
Headquarters that set policies, receive dues, and supervise chapters. Liability often hinges on what they knew or should have known from prior incidents.

University or Governing Board:
Schools may be liable under negligence or civil rights theories, particularly if they had prior warnings and failed to act.

Third Parties:
Landlords of event spaces, bars or alcohol providers (under dram shop theories), security companies.

Every case is fact-specific, which is why Matinburg families need experienced counsel to identify all potentially liable parties.

National Hazing Case Patterns: Lessons for Texas Families

The tragic stories from other states provide crucial precedents and warning signs for Matinburg families.

Alcohol Poisoning & Death Pattern

Timothy Piazza – Penn State, Beta Theta Pi (2017):
Died after bid-acceptance drinking event; severe falls captured on chapter cameras; help delayed for hours. Resulted in dozens of criminal charges and Pennsylvania’s Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law.

Max Gruver – LSU, Phi Delta Theta (2017):
Died during “Bible study” drinking game; Louisiana enacted the Max Gruver Act making hazing a felony.

Stone Foltz – Bowling Green State, Pi Kappa Alpha (2021):
Forced to drink nearly a bottle of whiskey; died from alcohol poisoning. Family reached $10 million settlement ($7M from national fraternity, ~$3M from university).

Andrew Coffey – Florida State, Pi Kappa Phi (2017):
Died during “Big Brother Night” after being given handles of liquor; FSU temporarily suspended all Greek life.

Physical & Ritualized Hazing Pattern

Chun “Michael” Deng – Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi (2013):
Died during blindfolded “glass ceiling” ritual at retreat; multiple convictions; fraternity banned from Pennsylvania for 10 years.

Athletic Program Hazing

Northwestern University Football (2023–2025):
Former players alleged sexualized, racist hazing within the program; multiple lawsuits against university; head coach fired and later settled confidentially.

What These Cases Mean for Matinburg Families

These national cases establish crucial legal precedents that Texas courts recognize. They show common patterns: forced drinking, delayed medical care, cover-ups, and institutional failures. They also demonstrate that multi-million-dollar settlements and legislative reforms often follow only after tragedy and litigation. For Matinburg families, these cases provide both warning and precedent: you’re not alone, and the legal system has increasingly recognized the seriousness of hazing claims.

Texas University Focus: Where Matinburg Students Attend

Matinburg families send students to universities across Texas. Understanding the specific landscape at each major institution is crucial for prevention and response.

University of Houston: The Closest Major Campus

Campus & Culture Snapshot

As the nearest major research university to Matinburg, UH attracts many East Texas students. Its urban Houston campus hosts active Greek life with multiple councils: Interfraternity Council (17 fraternities), Panhellenic Council (6 sororities), National Pan-Hellenic Council (Divine Nine), and Multicultural Greek Council. The recently publicized Pi Kappa Phi case demonstrates that severe hazing occurs here.

UH Hazing Policy & Reporting

UH prohibits hazing on or off campus and provides reporting through the Dean of Students, Office of Student Conduct, and UHPD. The university’s response to the Pi Kappa Phi case—labeling conduct “deeply disturbing” and cooperating with investigations—shows their public stance, though internal handling varies case by case.

Documented Incident: Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu (2025)

Our firm’s current case involves Leonel Bermudez, who suffered rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure after extreme hazing that included:

• “Pledge fanny pack” humiliation (condoms, sex toys, nicotine devices)
• Forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, peppercorns until vomiting
• 100+ push-ups, 500 squats under expulsion threats
• Hose spraying “similar to waterboarding”
• Cold-weather exposure in underwear
• Hospitalization for four days with brown urine indicating kidney failure

The chapter was suspended November 6, 2025, and members voted to surrender their charter November 14, 2025.

How a UH Hazing Case Proceeds

Cases may involve UHPD, Houston Police Department, or Harris County Sheriff’s Office depending on location. Civil suits typically file in Harris County courts. Potential defendants include individual students, the local chapter, Pi Kappa Phi national headquarters, UH, and property owners where hazing occurred.

What UH Students & Parents Should Do

• Report to UH Dean of Students Office immediately
• Document all communications with university officials
• Preserve digital evidence (GroupMe is commonly used at UH)
• Seek medical attention even for seemingly minor injuries
• Consult with attorneys experienced in Houston-area hazing cases

Texas A&M University: Corps Culture & Greek Life

Campus & Culture Snapshot

Many Matinburg students choose Texas A&M for its tradition and reputation. Beyond Greek life, the Corps of Cadets presents unique hazing risks due to military-style traditions and hierarchical structure.

Recent Documented Incidents

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Chemical Burns Case (2021):
Pledges alleged being covered in industrial-strength cleaner, raw eggs, and spit, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin graft surgeries. The fraternity was suspended for two years; pledges sued for $1 million.

Corps of Cadets Lawsuit (2023):
Cadet alleged degrading hazing including simulated sexual acts and being bound between beds in “roasted pig” position with apple in mouth. Sought over $1 million in damages.

Texas A&M’s Response Framework

The university handles hazing through Student Conduct and Corps regulations. Their public statements emphasize addressing misconduct while maintaining tradition. However, repeated incidents suggest systemic challenges.

What College Station Families Should Know

• Corps hazing often occurs in dormitories and training environments
• Greek hazing frequently moves to off-campus houses to avoid detection
• Documentation is crucial as both systems emphasize loyalty and silence
• Early legal consultation can navigate unique Corps-Greek jurisdictional issues

University of Texas at Austin: Transparency & Tradition

Campus & Culture Snapshot

UT Austin’s size and Greek system complexity create both opportunities and risks. The university maintains one of Texas’ most transparent hazing disclosure systems.

UT’s Public Hazing Violations Page

UT posts detailed hazing violations including organization names, dates, conduct descriptions, and sanctions. Recent entries include:

Pi Kappa Alpha (2023): New members directed to consume milk and perform strenuous calisthenics; chapter placed on probation.

Texas Wranglers (2022): Spirit organization sanctioned for forced workouts and alcohol-related hazing.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Incident (2024):

Australian exchange student alleged assault by fraternity members resulting in dislocated leg, broken ligaments, fractured tibia, and broken nose. Filed lawsuit seeking over $1 million.

UT’s Investigative Process

Cases typically involve UTPD and Austin Police Department. UT’s established conduct process can be both thorough and slow, making parallel legal action often necessary for timely resolution.

Southern Methodist University: Private University Dynamics

Campus & Culture Snapshot

SMU’s affluent student body and strong Greek