A Message to Parents in Olton, Texas: When Hazing Hits Home, We Fight for Accountability
The nightmare begins with a phone call. Your child, bright-eyed and full of promise, chose to join a brotherhood or sisterhood at a Texas university. Maybe they’re at the nearby West Texas A&M, a few hours away at Texas Tech, or further still at the University of Houston or Texas A&M. Now, their voice is weak, full of shame or fear. They mumble about “traditions,” extreme workouts, forced drinking, or days of sleep deprivation. They might minimize it: “It’s just how it is, Mom.” Or worse, you learn through a hospital that they’ve suffered a catastrophic injury—muscles breaking down, kidneys failing—all in the name of belonging.
For families right here in Olton, in Lamb County, and across the Texas Panhandle, this is not a distant headline. It is a real, devastating risk when our children leave for college. The bonds of community that define life in Olton—rooted in hard work, family, and trust—are shattered when institutions meant to guide our kids betray that trust through brutal, senseless hazing.
Right now, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student whose fall 2025 pledge period with the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter nearly killed him. The allegations are horrific: a degrading “pledge fanny pack,” forced consumption of milk and hot dogs until vomiting, being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” and a Nov. 3 workout of 100+ push-ups and 500 squats that led to rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure. His urine turned brown. He was hospitalized for four days. This is happening now, at a major Texas public university. As reported by Click2Houston and ABC13, our firm filed a $10 million lawsuit to hold the university, the Pi Kappa Phi national organization, and 13 individual fraternity leaders accountable.
This guide is for you, the parents and families of Olton. Whether your child attends school close to home, in Lubbock, College Station, Houston, or anywhere in between, you deserve to know what hazing truly looks like in 2025, how Texas law protects your child, and what powerful legal options exist for accountability, justice, and preventing the next tragedy.
If you are in crisis right now, act immediately:
- Call 911 if there is a medical emergency.
- Then call us at 1-888-ATTY-911. We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.
- Preserve Evidence: Screenshot all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, texts). Photograph injuries. Save any physical items. Do not delete anything.
- Seek Medical Care: Get a full medical evaluation and tell the doctors exactly what happened.
The Hazing Reality Around Olton: Understanding the Texas Greek Ecosystem
While Olton itself is not a major college town, our children enter a vast, interconnected network of Greek organizations when they attend Texas universities. We maintain the Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, a proprietary database built from public records, to track this system and understand where true liability lies. This isn’t about a few “bad apples”; it’s about understanding the organizations, their insurance, and their histories.
Public Records: Fraternity, Sorority & Greek Organizations Connected to Texas Campuses
For Olton parents, it’s crucial to know that behind every fraternity or sorority chapter on campus, there are often legally registered entities in Texas—house corporations, alumni chapters, educational foundations—that hold insurance and assets. These are matters of public record. For example, in the state and in our region, our data includes entities such as:
- Frank Heflin Foundation, EIN 20-3507402, Canyon, TX 79015. (IRS B83 filing – Phi Delta Theta alumni fund connected to West Texas A&M)
- Chi Omega – Upsilon Zeta Building Association, EIN 75-2290669, Amarillo, TX 79118. (IRS B83 filing – housing corporation)
- Kappa Alpha Order – Gamma Sigma Chapter, Canyon, TX. (Cause IQ Metro listing – West Texas A&M University chapter)
- Texas Tech Chapter of Phi Delta Theta Housing, Lubbock, TX. (Cause IQ Metro listing)
- Alpha Phi Omega – Eta Tau Chapter, Canyon, TX. (Cause IQ Metro listing – WTAMU service fraternity)
- Pi Mu Epsilon – Texas Kappa Chapter, Canyon, TX. (Cause IQ Metro listing – WTAMU math honor society)
Where Olton Families Send Their Kids: Campus Connections
Students from Olton and Lamb County attend universities across Texas. The legal jurisdiction for a hazing case typically follows where the incident occurred or where responsible entities are located. Key schools include:
Regional & Panhandle Campuses:
- West Texas A&M University (Canyon, Randall County) – The closest major university to Olton.
- Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Lubbock County) – A primary destination for Panhandle students.
- Canyon, TX is also home to the Frank Heflin Foundation (IRS EIN 20-3507402), an alumni entity that demonstrates how Greek networks are embedded in our region.
Major Statewide Universities (Common Destinations):
- Texas A&M University (College Station, Brazos County)
- University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Travis County)
- University of Houston (Houston, Harris County) – Site of the active Leonel Bermudez/Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit we are litigating.
- Texas State University (San Marcos, Hays County)
- Baylor University (Waco, McLennan County)
- Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Dallas County)
When hazing occurs at these schools, the investigation and litigation may involve courts in those counties, but our firm serves families statewide. We understand the geographic and legal landscape from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast.
Texas Hazing Law: What Olton Parents Must Know
Texas has strong laws against hazing, found in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F. Understanding these is your first step toward empowerment.
Key Provisions:
- Definition (§37.151): Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation into, affiliation with, or maintaining membership in an organization.
- Criminal Penalties (§37.152): Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. It becomes a Class A misdemeanor if it causes bodily injury and a STATE JAIL FELONY if it causes serious bodily injury or death.
- Consent is NOT a Defense (§37.155): It does not matter if your child “agreed” to participate. The law recognizes the power imbalance and coercion inherent in hazing.
- Organizational Liability (§37.153): The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be prosecuted and fined up to $10,000 per violation.
- Immunity for Reporting (§37.154): Individuals who in good faith report hazing or seek medical help are generally protected from liability.
Criminal vs. Civil Cases:
- Criminal: Brought by the state (DA’s office) to punish with jail time, fines, or probation.
- Civil: Brought by the victim and their family to secure compensation for damages (medical bills, pain and suffering, future care) and to force institutional change. These are the lawsuits we specialize in. A criminal case is not required to file a civil suit.
The National Pattern Comes to Texas: Our Flagship Case
The horrific details of the Leonel Bermudez v. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi case are a Texas-scale example of national hazing patterns. This is not an isolated incident but part of a documented, deadly playbook:
- Forced Consumption & Humiliation: The “pledge fanny pack” with degrading items.
- Simulated Torture: Hose spraying “similar to waterboarding.”
- Extreme Physical Abuse: Workouts designed to cause collapse and organ failure.
- Systemic Failure: Allegations that the university and national fraternity knew or should have known about the dangerous culture.
As reported by Hoodline, the chapter was swiftly suspended and then shut down. We are pursuing this case to its fullest extent to recover damages for our client and to send a message across Texas. This case exemplifies why experience against massive institutions—like our firm’s background in BP Texas City explosion litigation—is critical.
Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Recovery
When we take on a hazing case for a family from Olton or anywhere in Texas, we deploy a proven, data-driven strategy.
1. Immediate Evidence Preservation:
Digital evidence is often the most critical. We guide families to:
- Screenshot ALL group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage, Discord) immediately, before members delete them.
- Save photos/videos from social media (Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok) showing events or injuries.
- Document injuries with photographs over several days.
- Secure medical records that explicitly connect the diagnosis (e.g., rhabdomyolysis, alcohol poisoning) to the hazing event.
We have a dedicated video on using your phone to document legal evidence.
2. Investigating the Full Liability Chain:
We use our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine to identify every potentially liable entity, far beyond the individual members:
- The local chapter.
- The national fraternity/sorority headquarters (like Pi Kappa Phi).
- Alumni housing corporations and foundations (like those in our public records list).
- The university itself for negligent supervision.
- Property owners of off-campus houses.
This comprehensive approach maximizes potential insurance coverage and accountability.
3. Calculating Damages for Olton Families:
Hazing causes profound harm. Recoverable damages can include:
- Economic Damages: All past and future medical expenses, lost wages, costs of psychological counseling, and loss of future earning capacity.
- Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for physical pain, emotional trauma, humiliation, 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 suffering.
We work with life-care planners, economists, and medical experts to build a complete picture of the harm, ensuring we fight for full and fair compensation. We explain this fully in our video on how contingency fees work—you pay nothing unless we win.
Critical Steps for Olton Parents & Students
If You Suspect Hazing:
- Talk to Your Child: Ask open-ended questions. “Are you safe?” “Is anything making you uncomfortable?” Listen without judgment.
- Look for Signs: Unexplained injuries, extreme fatigue, personality changes, withdrawal, secretive phone use, sudden academic decline.
- Know the Reporting Channels: Each university has a Dean of Students office, a student conduct office, and campus police. The national anti-hazing hotline is 1-888-NOT-HAZE.
If Hazing Has Occurred:
- Priority One: Health & Safety. Seek medical attention immediately.
- Priority Two: Evidence. Follow the preservation steps above.
- Priority Three: Legal Consultation. Contact our firm before reporting to the university or speaking to insurance adjusters. We can help you navigate the process strategically to protect your rights. Time is critical due to statutes of limitation—learn more in our video on Texas statutes of limitations.
Avoid These Critical Mistakes:
- Letting your child delete messages or “clean up” their phone.
- Confronting the fraternity/sorority directly, which triggers their defense lawyers and evidence destruction.
- Signing anything from the university or its insurance company without an attorney’s review.
- Posting details on social media, which can be used against you.
- Waiting too long to take action, allowing memories to fade and evidence to disappear.
We detail these pitfalls in our video on client mistakes that can ruin a case.
Why Olton Families Choose Attorney911 for Hazing Litigation
When your family faces a hazing crisis, you need more than a lawyer; you need advocates who understand the power dynamics, institutional cover-ups, and complex litigation required. From our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, we serve families across Texas, including Olton and the entire Panhandle region.
Our Proven Advantages:
- Active, High-Stakes Texas Hazing Litigation: We are right now leading the charge in the landmark Bermudez v. UH case. We are not theorists; we are in the fight.
- Insider Insurance Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him), spent years as an insurance defense attorney for national firms. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers try to deny, delay, and minimize claims. We know their playbook.
- Experience Against Billion-Dollar Defendants: Founding attorney Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by large universities or deep-pocketed national fraternities.
- Data-Driven Investigation: Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine gives us a head start. We know how to find the entities, the insurance policies, and the patterns that prove negligence.
- Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish (Se habla Español), ensuring all Texas families have access to expert counsel.
- A Track Record of Results: We have recovered multi-million dollar settlements for wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. We prepare every case as if it will go to trial, because that’s how you force fair settlements.
Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation
If hazing has impacted your child and your family, you do not have to navigate this alone. The institutions involved have teams of lawyers. You deserve a team that fights exclusively for you.
We offer a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation to families in Olton and across Texas. In this conversation, we will:
- Listen carefully to your story.
- Review any evidence you have preserved.
- Explain your legal rights and options under Texas law.
- Outline the potential paths forward, including civil litigation.
- Answer your questions about process, timelines, and costs.
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
- Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com
- Website: https://attorney911.com
We stand with the families of Olton, Lamb County, and all of Texas. Let us help you secure the justice, accountability, and future safety that your child deserves.
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 have a legal emergency, please contact us directly for a consultation.
