A Robstown Family’s Guide to Hazing at Texas Universities: Law, Accountability, and Your Legal Rights

If you are a parent in Robstown, your world centers on family, hard work, and the promise of a brighter future for your children. You’ve cheered at Little League games, supported them through Robstown High School, and dreamed of watching them cross the stage at a Texas university. That dream can shatter in an instant when a late-night phone call reveals your child has been hurt not in an accident, but in a ritual meant to earn belonging.

Imagine a scenario all too real for Texas families: your son, a new transfer student eager to find his place, accepts a bid from a fraternity at the University of Houston. What starts as camaraderie descends into a nightly regimen of forced servitude, humiliation, and extreme physical tests. He is made to carry a degrading “pledge fanny pack” at all times, is sprayed in the face with a hose “like waterboarding,” and is forced to consume vast quantities of food until he vomits, only to be ordered into sprints. After a brutal “workout” of over 100 push-ups and 500 squats, he collapses. Days later, he is crawling up the stairs at home, unable to stand. His urine is brown. A frantic trip to the emergency room leads to a four-day hospitalization with a diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis—severe muscle breakdown—and acute kidney failure. He is told he faces a risk of permanent kidney damage. This is not a hypothetical. This is the exact experience of Leonel Bermudez, a student whose $10 million hazing lawsuit against the University of Houston and the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity we at Attorney911 are actively litigating right now.

For families in Robstown, Nueces County, and across the Coastal Bend, the college journey often leads to campuses in Houston, College Station, Austin, San Antonio, and beyond. The culture of hazing at these institutions is a silent threat, hidden behind letters, tradition, and institutional reputation. This guide is for you. We will explain what modern hazing truly entails, the Texas laws designed to protect your child, the sobering national history of fraternity and sorority misconduct, and what legal recourse your family has when the unthinkable happens. We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911), and we represent hazing victims and their families in Texas and across the nation.

Immediate Help for a Hazing Emergency

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for any medical emergency.
• Then call our legal emergency line: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide immediate help—that’s why we are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™.

In the First 48 Hours:

• Get Medical Attention: Seek care immediately, even if your child dismisses their injuries.
• Preserve Evidence BEFORE It Vanishes:
  • Take screenshots of all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), texts, and social media DMs.
  • Photograph all injuries from multiple angles.
  • Save any physical items (clothing, paddles, receipts).
• Document Everything: Write down a timeline with who, what, when, and where while memories are fresh.
• Do NOT:
  • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team directly.
  • Sign anything from the university or an insurance company.
  • Post details on public social media.
  • Allow your child to delete messages or “clean up” evidence.

Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24-48 hours. Evidence disappears with terrifying speed. Call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a confidential, no-obligation consultation.

Hazing in 2025: It’s Not Just “Boys Being Boys”

Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act—on or off campus—that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation, affiliation, or maintaining membership in any organization. For Robstown parents, it’s critical to understand that hazing is not about harmless pranks. It is a calculated abuse of power that exploits a young person’s desire to belong. Consent is not a defense under Texas law.

Modern hazing manifests in several key categories:

• Alcohol and Substance Hazing: The deadliest form. This includes forced chugging, “lineup” drinking games, “Big/Little” nights with handles of liquor, and coerced consumption of drugs or unknown substances.
• Physical Hazing: Paddling, beatings, “smokings” (extreme calisthenics like those alleged in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case), sleep deprivation, food/water restriction, and exposure to extreme elements.
• Sexualized and Humiliating Hazing: Forced nudity, simulated sexual acts, degrading costumes or positions, and acts involving racial or sexist slurs.
• Psychological Hazing: Verbal abuse, isolation, threats of expulsion from the group, and manipulated confessions.
• Digital Hazing: A 24/7 nightmare. Pledges are subjected to constant demands via GroupMe, forced to post humiliating content on social media, tracked via location-sharing apps, and harassed if they don’t instantly comply.

This abuse doesn’t only happen in fraternity houses. It occurs in sororities, Corps of Cadets programs, athletic teams, spirit organizations like cheer and dance, marching bands, and other campus clubs. The common threads are secrecy, power imbalance, and a warped tradition that values endurance over wellbeing.

The Texas Legal Framework: Your Child’s Rights and Institutional Liability

Texas has specific statutes to combat hazing, primarily found in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F. Understanding this framework is the first step toward accountability.

Texas Hazing Law (Plain English Summary):

• Definition: Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers a student’s physical or mental health for purposes of initiation or affiliation with a group.
• Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. It becomes a Class A misdemeanor if it causes injury and a State Jail Felony if it causes serious bodily injury or death. Individuals can also be charged for failing to report hazing.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity, sorority, or club itself can be fined up to $10,000 and lose university recognition.
• Key Protections: Texas law provides immunity for good-faith reporting and explicitly states that the victim’s “consent” is not a defense.

Criminal vs. Civil Cases:

• Criminal Cases: Brought by the state (DA’s office) to punish individuals with jail, fines, or probation. Charges can include hazing, assault, furnishing alcohol to minors, or manslaughter.
• Civil Cases: Brought by the victim and their family to seek financial compensation and institutional accountability. This is where we hold every responsible party liable—from the individual members who carried out the acts to the national headquarters that failed to stop it, and potentially the university that failed to protect its students.

A criminal conviction is not required to file a civil lawsuit. Our civil practice focuses on proving negligence, gross negligence, and wrongful death to secure compensation for medical bills, future care, pain and suffering, and to force systemic change.

Federal Law Overlay: The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024) now requires universities receiving federal funds to report hazing incidents more transparently and strengthen prevention programs. Furthermore, hazing that involves sexual harassment or assault triggers Title IX obligations, and serious incidents may fall under the Clery Act’s crime reporting requirements.

National Hazing Cases: The Tragic Patterns That Repeat in Texas

The hazing that occurs at Texas schools is not an isolated phenomenon. It follows devastating national patterns. Understanding these cases shows why universities and national organizations are often found liable—they were warned.

• Timothy Piazza (Penn State, Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Died from traumatic brain injuries after a bid-acceptance night of extreme drinking. Brothers delayed calling 911 for hours. This led to the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law in Pennsylvania and massive criminal prosecutions.
• Max Gruver (LSU, Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died from acute alcohol poisoning after a “Bible study” drinking game. His death spurred Louisiana’s Max Gruver Act, a felony hazing statute.
• Stone Foltz (Bowling Green State, Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): Died after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol during a “Big/Little” event. His family reached a $10 million settlement with the national fraternity and university.
• Andrew Coffey (Florida State, Pi Kappa Phi, 2017): Died from alcohol poisoning at a “Big Brother” event, leading to a temporary shutdown of all Greek life at FSU.
• Danny Santulli (University of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta, 2021): Suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage from forced drinking. His family settled with 22 defendants, highlighting the multi-party liability in hazing cases.

The lesson for Robstown families is clear: the rituals that killed or maimed students at other schools are the same rituals being imported to Texas campuses. National fraternities and universities have prior knowledge of these deadly patterns, which forms the basis for holding them accountable when they fail to prevent them here.

Texas Universities: A Closer Look at Campuses Robstown Families Trust

Robstown students often pursue higher education at institutions across the state. The following campuses have significant Greek life and organizational cultures where hazing persists despite official policies.

University of Houston (UH) – A Flagship Case in Our Backyard

For Coastal Bend families, UH is a major destination. The recent case of Leonel Bermudez exemplifies the severe risks present on this campus.

The Active Case: Leonel Bermudez v. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi
We are currently litigating this $10 million lawsuit in Harris County. The allegations, detailed in reports by Click2Houston and ABC13, include:

• The enforced “pledge fanny pack” containing humiliating items.
• Physical abuse: sprints, bear crawls, being sprayed with a hose, lying in vomit-soaked grass.
• Forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting.
• The November 3rd “workout” leading to rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure.
• The chapter was suspended by nationals on November 6, 2025, and voted to surrender its charter on November 14, 2025.

This case is not ancient history; it is active litigation today. It demonstrates the extreme physical hazing that can occur at a major Texas public university and the rapid institutional response that often follows only after a life is endangered.

UH’s Greek Landscape & Past Issues:
UH hosts a large Greek community across four councils (IFC, Panhellenic, NPHC, MGC). Past incidents include a 2016 Pi Kappa Alpha case where a pledge suffered a lacerated spleen. UH policies prohibit hazing and provide reporting channels, but as the Bermudez case shows, policies alone are not prevention.

Texas A&M University – Tradition and Risk in the Corps and Greek Life

Many Robstown students are drawn to the tradition and network of Texas A&M. The hazing risk exists both in Greek life and the storied Corps of Cadets.

Notable Cases:

• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) Chemical Burns Lawsuit (2021): Pledges alleged they were covered in a substance including industrial-strength cleaner, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin graft surgeries. The chapter was suspended, and a lawsuit was filed.
• Corps of Cadets “Roasted Pig” Lawsuit (2023): A cadet alleged degrading hazing, including being bound in a simulated sexual position with an apple in his mouth. He sought over $1 million in damages.

Texas A&M’s size and deeply ingrained traditions require vigilant oversight. When hazing occurs, families may be navigating both the university’s student conduct system and the unique disciplinary framework of the Corps.

University of Texas at Austin – Public Records Reveal Repeating Problems

UT Austin maintains a public Hazing Violations Log, offering more transparency than many schools. This log is a powerful tool for families and attorneys, as it documents patterns.

Recent Entries from UT’s Log:

• Pi Kappa Alpha (2023): Sanctioned for directing new members to consume milk and perform strenuous calisthenics.
• Texas Wranglers (2023): Sanctioned for alcohol-related hazing and forced physical activity.
• Various other spirit groups and fraternities appear for forced workouts, alcohol hazing, and “lineups.”

This public record is critical because it establishes prior notice. If an organization is on this log and later engages in more severe hazing, the university and the national organization face heightened liability for failing to act decisively.

Southern Methodist University & Baylor University

These private institutions have their own Greek life challenges. SMU’s Kappa Alpha Order chapter was suspended in 2017 for paddling and alcohol hazing. Baylor, while emphasizing its Christian mission, has faced hazing scandals within its baseball program. Private university status affects transparency but not liability; civil discovery can uncover internal reports and prior warnings that are not publicly posted.

The Organizations Behind the Letters: National Histories Matter

When a hazing incident occurs at a Texas chapter, the national headquarters is almost always a key player in the legal aftermath. Their extensive history of similar incidents across the country forms the basis for alleging negligence and gross negligence.

Why National Histories Are Legally Critical:
National fraternities and sororities create policies, collect dues, provide training, and maintain risk management manuals precisely because they know the dangerous patterns of hazing within their organizations. When a local chapter repeats a script that has caused death or serious injury elsewhere, it demonstrates the national organization’s failure to effectively supervise, enforce its policies, or reform its culture.

A Sample of National Patterns:

• Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ): The national involved in the Stone Foltz death at Bowling Green ($10M settlement) and numerous other alcohol hazing deaths.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ): One of the largest fraternities, SAE has faced countless hazing allegations, including the chemical burn case at Texas A&M and a traumatic brain injury lawsuit at the University of Alabama.
• Pi Kappa Phi (ΠΚΦ): The national named in our UH Bermudez lawsuit was also the fraternity involved in the Andrew Coffey death at Florida State.
• Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ): The organization involved in the Max Gruver death at LSU.

For a Robstown family, this means the fraternity that harmed your child at UH or Texas A&M is part of a national system with a documented, foreseeable risk of that exact harm. We use this pattern evidence to build formidable cases against these deep-pocketed national entities.

Building a Hazing Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Damages

Pursuing accountability after hazing requires a meticulous, strategic investigation. At Attorney911, we bring a unique combination of plaintiff-side advocacy and insider defense knowledge to this process.

Our Investigative Advantage – The Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine:
While we cannot disclose our full proprietary investigative methods, we maintain a comprehensive analysis of the Greek organizational landscape in Texas. This includes tracking entities through public records. For example, the IRS Exempt Organizations database (NTEE B83) lists over 125 Texas-registered Greek organizations, such as:

• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc – EIN 46-2267515 – Frisco, TX 75035
• Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity – EIN 74-6064445 – Nederland, TX 77627 (Epsilon Kappa Chapter)
• Sigma Chi Fraternity Epsilon Xi Chapter – EIN 74-6084905 – Houston, TX 77204
• Kappa Sigma – Mu Camma Chapter Inc – EIN 13-3048786 – College Station, TX 77845

Furthermore, data from sources like Cause IQ indicates there are over 1,400 fraternity and sorority related entities across 25 Texas metro areas, including 188 in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro alone. This deep data intelligence helps us quickly identify all potentially liable parties—undergrad chapters, housing corporations, alumni associations, and national headquarters—from the very start of a case.

Critical Evidence We Secure:

1. Digital Communications: GroupMe, WhatsApp, Instagram, and text message threads showing planning, coercion, and boasts about the hazing. We work with digital forensics experts to recover deleted messages.
2. Photographs & Videos: Media shot by participants, social media posts, and surveillance footage.
3. Internal Organization Documents: Pledge manuals, “tradition” books, and communications between local and national officers.
4. University Records: Prior conduct files for the group, obtained through discovery or public information requests.
5. Medical Records: Documentation of the acute injury (e.g., ER reports showing rhabdomyolysis) and long-term psychological trauma (PTSD, anxiety diagnoses).

Damages in a Hazing Case:
We seek comprehensive compensation for:

• Economic Damages: All past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and diminished earning capacity.
• Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for physical pain, emotional suffering, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages: In tragic cases, we seek compensation for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and the family’s profound grief.

Our goal is not just a settlement; it is accountability that leads to institutional reform and prevents the next family from suffering this pain.

Practical Guidance for Robstown Parents, Students, and Witnesses

For Parents: Warning Signs and Action Steps

Warning Signs Your Child May Be Hazed:

• Unexplained injuries, bruises, or burns.
• Extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, or drastic weight change.
• Secrecy about organizational activities; fear of their phone.
• Sudden personality shifts: anxiety, depression, withdrawal.
• Constant need for money for unspecified “chapter” expenses.

What to Do If You Suspect Hazing:

1. Prioritize Safety & Health: Get medical care immediately.
2. Preserve Evidence: Help your child screenshot EVERYTHING. Take photos of injuries.
3. Document: Write a detailed narrative of what your child tells you.
4. Seek Legal Counsel BEFORE Reporting: Contact us at 1-888-ATTY-911. We can guide you on how to report to the university or police in a way that protects your child’s rights and preserves the legal case.
5. Avoid Critical Mistakes: Do NOT confront the organization, sign university resolutions, or let your child delete any digital evidence.

For a detailed video on avoiding common pitfalls, see our resource: Client Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Injury Case.

For Students: Your Rights and How to Exit Safely

• You Have the Right to Be Safe: No tradition is worth your life or health.
• “Consent” is Not a Defense: Texas law protects you even if you felt pressured to “agree.”
• Exiting Safely: If you feel threatened, call 911 or a trusted adult. You can resign via email; you do not need to attend a confrontational “exit meeting.”
• Good-Faith Reporting Protections: Texas law and most university policies offer immunity to those who call for help in an emergency.

For Witnesses or Former Members:

If you participated in or witnessed hazing and are now burdened by guilt or fear, you have a path forward. Your testimony can be crucial to achieving justice and preventing future harm. We can help you navigate your legal position and cooperate in a way that protects you while holding the true offenders accountable.

Why Attorney911 is Uniquely Equipped to Fight for Robstown Families

When your family is facing a hazing crisis, you need advocates who understand both the emotional trauma and the complex legal battlefield. You need attorneys who have faced billion-dollar institutions and know how their insurance companies operate.

Our Proven Litigation Pedigree:

• Active in a Major Texas Hazing Case: We are lead counsel for Leonel Bermudez in the $10 million lawsuit against UH and Pi Kappa Phi. We are in the fight right now.
• Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him), spent years as a defense attorney for a national insurance firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers try to deny, delay, and minimize claims. This insider knowledge is invaluable.
• Experience Against Massive Defendants: Managing Partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by the deep pockets of national fraternities or university legal teams.
• Dual Civil & Criminal Expertise: Mr. Manginello’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand the interplay between criminal hazing charges and civil lawsuits.
• Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña is fluent in Spanish, ensuring we can serve all families in the Robstown and Coastal Bend community with clarity and comfort.

We approach each case with a victim-centered focus, relentless investigation, and a commitment to securing not just compensation, but meaningful accountability.

Your Next Step: A Confidential Consultation

If hazing has impacted your family in Robstown, Corpus Christi, or anywhere in Texas, you do not have to navigate this alone. The institutions involved will have lawyers protecting their interests from day one. You deserve the same fierce advocacy.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) today.

• Call our 24/7 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

Your Free, Confidential Consultation Includes:

• A compassionate review of what happened to your child.
• An honest assessment of your legal options and potential claims.
• An explanation of our contingency-fee structure—you pay nothing unless we win.
• Clear next steps to protect your child’s rights and future.

Don’t wait as evidence disappears and witnesses are silenced. Call us now. Let us help you turn this trauma into a force for accountability and change.

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. Each case is unique, and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice on your specific situation, please contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC for a consultation.