The Complete Guide to Hazing Lawsuits & University Accountability for Texas Parents: A Resource for Point Blank, San Jacinto County, and All Texas Families

Hook & Immediate Crisis Response

It starts with a phone call no parent in Point Blank or anywhere in San Jacinto County expects to receive. Your child—the one you sent off to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas A&M in College Station, or the University of Houston—is in the emergency room. They’re talking about “pledge activities,” forced drinking, “traditions” that went too far, and a fraternity or sorority culture that values secrecy over safety. You hear words like “rhabdomyolysis,” “acute kidney failure,” or “traumatic brain injury.” You’re confused, scared, and facing university administrators and national organizations with unlimited legal budgets that seem more concerned with protecting their reputation than your child’s wellbeing.

Right now, in Texas, we’re fighting exactly this kind of case. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who nearly died after alleged hazing by the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. According to the $10 million lawsuit filed in late 2025 and covered by Click2Houston and ABC13, Bermudez was subjected to months of abuse culminating in forced workouts that caused rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure. He passed brown urine, was hospitalized for four days, and faces ongoing risk of permanent kidney damage. The haizing allegedly included:

• Carrying a “pledge fanny pack” with condoms, sex toys, and humiliating items 24/7
• Being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding”
• Forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, then immediate sprints
• 100+ push-ups and 500 squats in a single “workout” under threat of expulsion
• Another pledge being hog-tied face-down on a table with an object in his mouth for over an hour

The chapter was suspended November 6, 2025, and members voted to surrender their charter on November 14. The University of Houston called the conduct “deeply disturbing” and promised disciplinary action and cooperation with law enforcement.

If this nightmare scenario sounds familiar to your family—whether your child attends school near Point Blank or anywhere in Texas—this comprehensive guide explains what hazing really looks like in 2025, your legal rights under Texas law, and how experienced hazing attorneys investigate these cases to hold every responsible party accountable.

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. Watch our video on using your phone to document evidence
• Do NOT:
  • Confront the fraternity/sorority directly
  • 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 Texas Families

Modern Hazing: Far Beyond “Just Partying”

For families in Point Blank and across San Jacinto County, understanding contemporary hazing means looking beyond stereotypes. Today’s hazing isn’t just about “boys being boys” or harmless traditions. It’s a calculated system of coercion that has evolved to avoid detection while maintaining psychological and physical control over new members.

Hazing in 2025 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. Critically, “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.

The Four Main Categories of Modern Hazing

Alcohol and Substance Hazing
This remains the single most common—and most deadly—form of hazing. It includes:

• Forced or coerced drinking during “Big/Little” nights, bid acceptance parties, or “family tree” games
• Chugging challenges, “lineups,” or games requiring rapid consumption
• Pressure to consume unknown or mixed substances
• The dangerous reality: Blood alcohol levels in fatal cases often exceed 0.30% (nearly four times the legal limit)

Physical Hazing
While often disguised as “conditioning” or “team building,” physical hazing includes:

• Paddling, beatings, and physical assaults
• Extreme calisthenics, “workouts,” or “smokings” far beyond normal conditioning (like the 100+ push-ups and 500 squats in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case)
• Sleep deprivation through late-night meetings or early-morning “accountability” calls
• Food/water restriction or forced consumption of unpleasant substances
• Exposure to extreme cold/heat or dangerous environments (lying in vomit-soaked grass, as alleged in the UH case)

Sexualized and Humiliating Hazing
This category causes deep psychological trauma and includes:

• Forced nudity or partial nudity
• Simulated sexual acts, degrading positions, or humiliating costumes
• Acts with racial, sexist, or homophobic overtones
• Public shaming in meetings or on social media

Digital/Online Hazing
The newest frontier in hazing exploits technology:

• 24/7 group chat monitoring with demands for immediate responses
• Social media dares, challenges, and public humiliation via Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok
• Pressure to create or share compromising images/videos
• Geo-tracking requirements through Find My Friends or similar apps
• Critical evidence: These digital trails often contain the most damning proof of hazing

Where Hazing Happens: Beyond Fraternity Row

Texas parents need to understand that hazing extends far beyond traditional Greek life:

Fraternities and Sororities (IFC, Panhellenic, NPHC, multicultural groups)

• University of Houston: Over 40 recognized chapters including Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha
• Texas A&M University: One of the nation’s largest Greek systems with historical hazing issues
• UT Austin, SMU, Baylor: Significant Greek presences with documented violations

Corps of Cadets & Military-Style Groups

• Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets has faced multiple hazing lawsuits
• ROTC programs and similar military-style organizations

Athletic Teams

• Football, basketball, baseball programs at all levels
• Cheer squads, dance teams, and spirit groups
• The Northwestern University football scandal shows this happens even at elite programs

Performance & Tradition Groups

• Marching bands and musical ensembles
• Spirit organizations (like UT’s Texas Cowboys)
• Service clubs and academic honor societies

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

Texas Hazing Law & Liability Framework: What Point Blank Families Need to Know

Texas Education Code Chapter 37: Your Legal Foundation

Under Texas law—which governs cases affecting Point Blank families—hazing is specifically defined and criminalized in the Education Code. This isn’t vague common law; it’s precise statutory protection for your child.

§ 37.151 Definition of Hazing
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.

Plain English Translation:
If someone makes your child do something dangerous, harmful, or degrading to join or stay in a group, and they meant to do it or were reckless about the risk, that’s hazing under Texas law.

Key Points for San Jacinto County Families:

• Location doesn’t matter—on campus, off campus, at an Airbnb, or during a “retreat”
• Harm can be mental or physical (PTSD counts just as much as broken bones)
• “Reckless” is enough—they don’t need malicious intent
• Most importantly: § 37.155 states “consent is not a defense”—even if your child “agreed,” it’s still hazing

Criminal Penalties: Texas Takes Hazing Seriously

§ 37.152 Criminal Penalties

• 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

Additional Criminal Exposure:

• Failing to report hazing (if you’re a member/officer and knew about it): misdemeanor
• Retaliating against someone who reports hazing: misdemeanor
• Organizational liability: Organizations can be fined up to $10,000 per violation

Criminal vs. Civil Cases: Understanding the Difference

When hazing occurs, two parallel legal tracks may proceed:

Criminal Cases

• Brought by the state (Harris County DA, Brazos County DA, etc.)
• Aim: Punishment (jail, fines, probation)
• Typical charges: hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, assault, battery, manslaughter in fatal cases
• Important: A criminal conviction is NOT required to pursue a civil case

Civil Cases

• Brought by victims or surviving families
• Aim: Monetary compensation and accountability
• Focus on: negligence, wrongful death, negligent supervision, premises liability, emotional distress
• Why civil cases matter: They’re where families recover medical costs, lost earnings, and compensation for pain and suffering

Federal Law Overlay: Additional Protections

Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024)

• Requires colleges receiving federal aid to report hazing incidents transparently
• Strengthens hazing education and prevention
• Phased public hazing data reporting by 2026
• Impact: More transparency about which organizations have violations

Title IX & Clery Act

• When hazing involves sexual harassment, assault, or gender-based hostility, Title IX obligations trigger
• Clery Act requires reporting certain crimes; hazing often overlaps with assault/alcohol crimes
• Critical for Texas families: These federal laws can provide additional avenues for accountability

Who Can Be Liable in a Civil Hazing Lawsuit?

Texas law allows multiple parties to be held accountable:

Individual Students

• Those who planned, supplied alcohol, carried out acts, or helped cover up
• Chapter officers (presidents, pledge educators, risk managers)

Local Chapter/Organization

• The fraternity/sorority or club itself (if incorporated)
• Chapter housing corporations (many have separate legal identities)

National Fraternity/Sorority Headquarters

• Organizations that set policies, receive dues, and supervise chapters
• Liability hinges on what they knew or should have known from prior incidents
• Pattern evidence is crucial: If the same national had similar incidents elsewhere, that shows foreseeability

University or Governing Board

• UH System Board of Regents, Texas A&M University System, UT System Board of Regents
• Liability theories: negligence, gross negligence, Title IX violations, deliberate indifference
• Key question: What did the university know, and when did they know it?

Third Parties

• Landlords/owners of chapter houses or event spaces
• Bars or alcohol providers (under Texas dram shop laws)
• Security companies or event organizers

Every case is fact-specific, but experienced hazing attorneys investigate all potential sources of liability and insurance coverage.

National Hazing Case Patterns: What Texas Can Learn from Tragedies Elsewhere

Alcohol Poisoning & Death Pattern: The Most Common Tragedy

Timothy Piazza – Penn State, Beta Theta Pi (2017)

• Bid-acceptance event with forced heavy drinking
• Severe falls captured on chapter security cameras
• 19 brothers charged with over 1,000 criminal counts
• Takeaway for Texas families: Delayed medical care and cover-up culture dramatically increase liability

Max Gruver – LSU, Phi Delta Theta (2017)

• “Bible study” drinking game where wrong answers = forced drinking
• Died with BAC of 0.495% (six times legal limit)
• Louisiana enacted Max Gruver Act making hazing a felony
• Takeaway: Legislative change often follows public outrage and clear proof

Stone Foltz – Bowling Green State, Pi Kappa Alpha (2021)

• Forced to drink nearly a full bottle of whiskey
• $10 million settlement ($7M from Pi Kappa Alpha national, ~$3M from BGSU)
• Former chapter president personally ordered to pay $6.5 million
• Takeaway: Individual officers face massive personal liability

Andrew Coffey – Florida State, Pi Kappa Phi (2017)

• “Big Brother Night” with handles of hard liquor
• FSU temporarily suspended all Greek life
• Takeaway: The same national (Pi Kappa Phi) now faces allegations at University of Houston

Physical & Ritualized Hazing: Violence Disguised as Tradition

Chun “Michael” Deng – Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi (2013)

• Blindfolded, weighted with backpack, repeatedly tackled during “glass ceiling” ritual
• National fraternity criminally convicted of aggravated assault
• Banned from Pennsylvania for 10 years
• Takeaway: Off-campus retreats don’t eliminate liability

**Danny Santulli – University of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta (2021)