Hazing Litigation in Texas: A Comprehensive Guide for Portland Families & Coastal Bend Parents

If Your Child Was Hazed Anywhere in Texas, You Are Not Alone

We understand what you’re going through. The frantic call from your son or daughter. The confusing stories that don’t add up. The sudden medical bills. The sinking feeling that a university or a powerful fraternity is more concerned with protecting its reputation than protecting your child. For families in Portland, Ingleside, Gregory, and across San Patricio County, sending a child to college is a proud milestone. When that dream turns into a nightmare of hazing, abuse, and institutional cover-ups, you need more than sympathy. You need a team that knows exactly how to fight back against the organizations that failed your child.

Right now, we are actively litigating one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas: the $10 million lawsuit on behalf of Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston, the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter, its national headquarters, and 13 fraternity leaders. This case, unfolding just a few hours from Portland in Harris County, is a stark example of what modern hazing inflicts: forced, degrading rituals that led to rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney failure, and a four-day hospitalization for a young man whose only mistake was wanting to belong.

This guide is for you—the parents, grandparents, and families of Portland and the Coastal Bend region. We will explain what hazing really looks like in 2025, the Texas laws that protect your child, the national patterns that repeat here, and what you can do right now to protect your family’s rights and future.

Immediate Help for a Hazing Emergency

If your child is in danger or severely injured RIGHT NOW:

1. Call 911 or get them to the nearest emergency room. The closest major trauma centers to Portland are in Corpus Christi.
2. Then, call us immediately at 1-888-ATTY-911. We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.
3. Do not let your child delete anything. Screenshot text messages, GroupMe chats, and social media posts immediately.
4. Write down everything they tell you: names, dates, locations, and what happened.
5. Do NOT confront the fraternity, sorority, or university officials. Let us handle that.

What Hazing Really Looks Like in 2025 (It’s Not Just “Party Pranks”)

Hazing has evolved. It’s no longer just about cartoonish pranks; it’s a calculated system of coercion, humiliation, and abuse designed to assert power and create loyalty through trauma. For parents in Portland whose children may attend Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, or schools farther afield like UT Austin or Texas A&M, understanding the modern landscape is critical.

The Three Tiers of Hazing Abuse

1. Subtle Hazing: The Gateway
This is the psychological groundwork. It includes forced servitude (acting as a 24/7 chauffeur, cleaning members’ rooms), social isolation from non-members, mandatory “check-ins” at all hours via group chat, and being assigned degrading nicknames. The goal is to break down autonomy and establish absolute control.

2. Harassment Hazing: The Grind
This escalates to causing deliberate discomfort and distress. It includes:

• Sleep Deprivation: 3 AM wake-up calls for “mandatory study sessions” or pointless tasks.
• Forced Consumption: Eating excessive amounts of bland food (like gallons of milk) or disgusting mixtures until vomiting.
• Extreme Calisthenics: “Smokings” with hundreds of push-ups, squats, or wall-sits until muscles fail.
• Public Humiliation: Wearing embarrassing costumes in public, being screamed at in “interview” sessions, or performing degrading acts.

3. Violent Hazing: Where Lives Are Ended or Altered Forever
This is criminal assault, often disguised as “tradition.” The Leonel Bermudez case at UH involves nearly all of these elements:

• Physical Torture: Pledges being hog-tied face-down on tables for hours; forced to lie in vomit-soaked grass; sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding.”
• Life-Threatening Alcohol Consumption: “Big/Little” nights where a pledge is given a handle of liquor to finish; drinking games where wrong answers mandate shots.
• Dangerous Physical Tests: “Glass ceiling” rituals where blindfolded pledges are tackled; extreme workouts in public parks leading to rhabdomyolysis (as in Bermudez’s case).
• Sexualized Abuse: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, and degrading sexual humiliation.

The Digital Battlefield

Today’s hazing is coordinated and documented on smartphones. Evidence exists in:

• GroupMe, WhatsApp, Discord: Where threats, instructions, and evidence are shared.
• Snapchat & Instagram: Where humiliating moments are posted to stories.
• Find My Friends/ Life360: Where pledges are forced to share location 24/7.
• Deleted Messages: Which our digital forensics experts can often recover.

Texas Law & Your Family’s Rights: A Portland Parent’s Guide

Texas has some of the clearest anti-hazing statutes in the country, but they are only powerful if you enforce them. The laws governing your child’s case apply whether the hazing happened in a College Station fraternity house, a UT Austin dorm, or at an off-campus Airbnb near Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Texas Education Code Chapter 37: Your Legal Foundation

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.

Key Provisions for Families:

• Consent is NOT a Defense (§37.155): It doesn’t matter if your child “agreed” to participate. The law recognizes the power imbalance and coercion inherent in hazing.
• Criminal Penalties (§37.152): Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. If it causes serious bodily injury (like kidney failure or a TBI), it becomes a state jail felony. If someone dies, it’s a felony.
• Organizational Liability (§37.153): The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be prosecuted and fined up to $10,000.
• Immunity for Reporting (§37.154): Students who call for help in good faith are protected from prosecution related to that call.

The Civil Lawsuit: Seeking Accountability and Recovery

A criminal case, handled by the state, seeks to punish. A civil lawsuit, which we file on your behalf, seeks to do three things:

1. Recover comprehensive damages for your child’s harm.
2. Hold every responsible party accountable, from the individual who swung the paddle to the national headquarters that looked the other way.
3. Force institutional change to protect the next generation.

Who can be sued in a Texas hazing case?

• The individual fraternity/sorority members who planned and carried out the acts.
• The local chapter (as a legal entity).
• The national fraternity/sorority headquarters (a critical deep-pocket defendant).
• The university (for negligent supervision, Title IX violations, Clery Act failures).
• The property owner or housing corporation where the hazing occurred.
• Alumni advisors and chapter officers.

Federal Laws Overlay the Texas Framework

• The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024): Requires universities to publicly report hazing incidents, increasing transparency.
• Title IX: If hazing involves sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, it triggers federal Title IX obligations for the school.
• Clery Act: Requires universities to disclose campus crime statistics, which can include hazing-related assaults.

A National Crisis, A Texas Reality: Lessons from Landmark Cases

The tragedy in Houston is not an isolated event. It is part of a national pattern that Texas parents must understand. These cases show the predictable scripts fraternities follow and the catastrophic results.

The Fatal Alcohol Poisoning Script

• Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died from traumatic brain injuries after a bid-acceptance drinking party. Brothers delayed calling 911 for 12 hours. Result: 28 members charged, new Pennsylvania law.
• Stone Foltz (Bowling Green, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): Forced to drink a bottle of liquor during a “Big/Little” night. Died of alcohol poisoning. Result: $10 million settlement, chapter president ordered to pay $6.5 million personally.
• Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died after a “Bible study” drinking game. Result: Louisiana’s Max Gruver Act making hazing a felony.

The Physical Torture & Ritual Script

• Chun “Michael” Deng (Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi, 2013): Died from traumatic brain injury after a blindfolded, violent “glass ceiling” ritual at a retreat. Result: National fraternity convicted of manslaughter, banned from Pennsylvania for 10 years.

The Severe, Life-Altering Injury Script

• Danny Santulli (Univ. of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Forced to drink until his BAC was 0.486%. Suffered permanent brain damage—cannot walk, talk, or see. Result: Confidential multi-million-dollar settlements with 22 defendants.

The Takeaway for Portland Families: These national organizations—Pi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta—all have chapters in Texas. The same “traditions” that killed students in Ohio, Louisiana, and Florida are being imported to our state. When we sue, we use this national pattern of conduct to prove the organization knew the dangers and failed to stop them.

The Texas & Coastal Bend Greek Ecosystem: Where Portland Students Go

Parents in Portland, Ingleside, and Aransas Pass often send their children to excellent universities close to home and across the state. Each campus has its own Greek life landscape and history of incidents.

For Portland-Area Families: Corpus Christi Metro Campuses

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi & Texas A&M University-Kingsville are primary destinations for Coastal Bend students. The Greek life here is active and documented in public records.

Our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine tracks the formal organizations behind the letters. For example, in the Corpus Christi Metro area, public records show entities like:

• Delta Sigma Delta – East Texas Graduate Chapter (Portland, TX – Dental fraternity grad chapter)
• Alpha Sigma Phi – Iota Phi Chapter (Corpus Christi, TX – Texas A&M–CC chapter)
• Sigma Chi Fraternity – Zeta Pi (Kingsville, TX – Texas A&M–Kingsville chapter)
• Kappa Sigma Fraternity – Rho-Psi Colony (Corpus Christi, TX – TAMU–CC colony)

These are not just social clubs; they are legal entities with Employer Identification Numbers (EINs), mailing addresses, and often, insurance policies. When hazing occurs, we immediately identify and investigate every related entity.

Major Statewide Universities Portland Families Choose

University of Houston (UH): The site of our flagship Bermudez case. The alleged hazing involved a “pledge fanny pack” with humiliating items, forced overeating, waterboarding simulation, and extreme workouts at Yellowstone Boulevard Park that caused kidney failure. The Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter is now shut down.

Texas A&M University (College Station): Home to a powerful Greek system and the Corps of Cadets. We have handled cases involving:

• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): Allegations of pledges being doused with industrial-strength cleaner, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts.
• Corps of Cadets: Lawsuits alleging brutal hazing, including a “roasted pig” ritual where a cadet was bound with an apple in his mouth.

University of Texas at Austin: Maintains a public hazing violations log. Recent entries include Pi Kappa Alpha sanctioned for forcing new members to drink milk and perform strenuous calisthenics, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon facing a lawsuit after an exchange student was severely assaulted.

Texas A&M University-Kingsville: As a key regional institution, its chapters are part of the statewide network we monitor.

The Public Records Directory: Proof of Our Investigative Depth

We maintain a proprietary database of every Greek-life entity in Texas. For Portland families, this means we don’t start from scratch. We already know the landscape. Here are examples of Texas-registered organizations (from IRS B83 filings) that illustrate the complex web behind Greek life:

• Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity (EIN: 74-6064445) – Nederland, TX 77627 – EPSILON KAPPA CHAPTER
• Kappa Sigma Fraternity (EIN: 75-6067776) – Fort Worth, TX 76109 – THETA CHAPTER
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority (EIN: 36-4091267) – Waco, TX 76710 – XI CHI
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (EIN: 90-0293166) – College Station, TX 77843 – TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY CHAPTER
• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi… Housing Corporation Inc (EIN: 46-2267515) – Frisco, TX 75035

This is just a fraction of the 125+ Texas-registered entities we track. When your child is hazed, we use this data to identify every legally responsible organization, its national affiliate, and its insurance coverage—immediately.

Building an Unbeatable Case: The Attorney911 Method for Texas Families

Fighting a university and a national fraternity requires a specific set of skills. We don’t just file lawsuits; we conduct military-grade investigations to build leverage from day one.

Our Four-Phase Investigation Process

Phase 1: Immediate Evidence Preservation (The First 72 Hours)

• Digital Forensics: Securing and recovering deleted group chats, Snapchats, and Instagram messages.
• Physical Evidence: Documenting injuries, securing paddles or props, preserving clothing.
• Witness Identification: Contacting other pledges and members before they are coached by the organization.

Phase 2: Institutional Discovery (Uncovering What They Knew)

• Subpoenaing National Fraternity Files: Obtaining prior incident reports, risk management audits, and internal emails about the chapter.
• University Records Requests: Getting prior conduct violations for the same group, Clery Act reports, and emails between administrators.
• Social Media & Geolocation Analysis: Piecing together the timeline and proving who was where and when.

Phase 3: Liability & Damages Mapping

• Identifying All Defendants: From the 18-year-old pledge master to the billionaire national fraternity insurance trust.
• Working with Experts: Hiring medical specialists, economists (to calculate lifetime earnings loss), life-care planners, and PTSD psychologists to fully document the harm.
• Insurance Coverage Analysis: Using Mr. Lupe Peña’s insider knowledge as a former insurance defense attorney to navigate coverage fights and combat bad-faith denials.

Phase 4: Strategic Litigation & Resolution

• We prepare every case for trial. This forces serious settlement discussions.
• We seek damages for: All medical bills (past and future), lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and, in appropriate cases, punitive damages to punish the organization.

Why Our Texas Roots & Experience Matter

• BP Texas City Explosion Litigation: We were one of the few firms that took on BP. We are not intimidated by billion-dollar defendants or their armies of lawyers.
• Mr. Lupe Peña’s Insurance Insider Knowledge: He spent years on the other side, defending insurance companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers try to deny, delay, and underpay claims.
• 25+ Years of Complex Courtroom Experience: We’ve handled catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases for decades. We know how to tell your child’s story to a jury.

A Practical Guide for Portland Parents & Students

For Parents: Warning Signs and Action Steps

Your child may be being hazed if they:

• Come home with unexplained bruises, burns, or injuries.
• Are constantly exhausted, even on weekends.
• Become secretive or defensive about their organization.
• Have dramatic weight loss or gain.
• Seem anxious, depressed, or fearful.
• Are financially drained by unexplained “fines” or “dues.”
• Are constantly glued to their phone, responding to group chats at all hours.

What to do if you suspect hazing:

1. Talk calmly and supportively. Say, “I’m worried about you. My only job is to keep you safe.”
2. Seek medical attention immediately for any injury. Tell the doctor exactly what happened.
3. Document everything. Take photos of injuries. Write down what they tell you.
4. Contact us at 1-888-ATTY-911 before you contact the university or fraternity. We will guide you on preserving evidence and managing communications.

For Students: Your Rights and Safety

• You have the right to be safe. No “tradition” justifies abuse.
• You have the right to say NO. True brotherhood/sisterhood doesn’t require humiliation.
• If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Texas law provides immunity for good-faith reports in emergencies.
• Preserve evidence. Screenshot everything. Do not delete messages, even if you’re embarrassed.
• You can leave. You have the legal right to de-pledge or resign at any time. Contact the Dean of Students office.

Critical Mistakes That Can Damage a Case

• Deleting text messages or group chats.
• Confronting the fraternity/sorority directly.
• Signing any document from the university without an attorney.
• Posting about the incident on social media.
• Waiting to see how the university “handles it” internally.

Why Portland Families Choose Attorney911 for Hazing Litigation

We are not a high-volume personal injury mill. We are a complex litigation firm that selects serious, catastrophic cases. Hazing cases fit our model perfectly because they involve:

• Powerful Institutional Defendants (National Fraternities, Major Universities)
• Complex Insurance Coverage Battles
• The Need for Aggressive, Data-Driven Investigation
• A Mission for Accountability and Prevention

Our team brings unique advantages:

• Ralph Manginello: Federal court experience, HCCLA criminal defense background, and a 25-year record of taking on corporate giants.
• Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him): A former insurance defense attorney who knows the other side’s playbook. He is also fluent in Spanish, ensuring we can serve all Texas families fully.
• Spanish Language Services: Hablamos Español. Mr. Peña can consult with your family directly in Spanish.

We are based in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, but we serve families across Texas, including Portland, Corpus Christi, and the entire Coastal Bend. Distance is no barrier; we come to you.

Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation

If your child has been hazed, assaulted, or injured in connection with a fraternity, sorority, Corps program, athletic team, or campus organization, time is your most critical asset. Evidence disappears. Witnesses get coached. Universities circle the wagons.

Call us today at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, no-obligation consultation. We will:

1. Listen to your story with compassion and without judgment.
2. Explain your legal rights and options under Texas law.
3. Discuss our investigative approach and how we would approach your case.
4. Answer all your questions about the process, timeline, and costs (we work on a contingency fee—you pay nothing unless we win).

You don’t have to navigate this nightmare alone. Let us be your guide, your advocate, and your relentless champion for justice.

Contact Attorney911 – The Legal Emergency Lawyers™
Phone: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email Ralph: ralph@atty911.com
Email Lupe (Se habla Español): lupe@atty911.com

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of the Leonel Bermudez / UH Pi Kappa Phi Hazing Lawsuit:

• Click2Houston Report: https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/11/21/only-on-2-lawsuit-alleges-severe-hazing-at-university-of-houstons-pi-kappa-phi-chapter-fraternity/
• ABC13 Coverage: https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/

Attorney911 Educational Videos:

• Using Your Phone for Evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
• Texas Statutes of Limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
• Client Mistakes to Avoid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IYsoxOSxY
• How Contingency Fees Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc

Main Website for Free Consultation:

• https://attorney911.com

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contacting The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Every case is fact-specific, and outcomes depend on the unique circumstances. We are licensed to practice law in Texas.