The Complete Guide to Hazing Lawsuits for Families in City of Toco, Texas: What You Need to Know When Your Child Is Hurt

If you are a parent in City of Toco, your worst fear is receiving that late-night call. The one telling you your child is in the hospital after a “pledge event” at their university. It starts with vague stories about “team bonding” or “tradition,” but the bruises, the exhaustion, and the fear in their voice tell a different story. The reality—that your child was systematically abused to join a campus group—is hard to accept.

Right now, we are fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history, right here in our own region. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a student at the University of Houston, in a $10 million lawsuit against the university and the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s Beta Nu chapter. His story is not an anomaly; it is a stark warning of what can happen when traditions turn toxic and institutions look the other way. For families in City of Toco and across Lamar County, this case is proof that hazing is not a distant problem—it is a present danger at Texas campuses where your children study.

This guide is written specifically for you—parents and families in City of Toco, Roxton, Blossom, and throughout Lamar County. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, break down the Texas laws designed to protect your child, and show you the legal pathways to accountability. We will connect the dots between national fraternity patterns and what happens at universities like Texas A&M University-Commerce, just a short drive from your home, as well as at major hubs like the University of Houston, UT Austin, and Texas A&M in College Station where many local students enroll.

If you are in crisis right now, we are here for you.

Immediate Help for Hazing Emergencies:

• If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW: Call 911 for medical emergencies. Then, call us at 1-888-ATTY-911.
• In the first 48 hours: Get medical attention immediately. Preserve evidence—screenshot group chats, photograph injuries, and save physical items. Write down everything your child tells you. Do not confront the organization, sign anything from the university, or post details on social media.
• Contact an experienced hazing attorney: Evidence disappears fast. Call us at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation to protect your child’s rights.

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

Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act—on or off campus—that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of joining or maintaining membership in a group. For City of Toco parents, it’s crucial to understand that what you may remember from decades ago has evolved into more sophisticated, digitally-fueled, and dangerous rituals.

Modern hazing tactics fall into three escalating categories:

• Subtle Hazing: Practices that emphasize power imbalance. This includes forced servitude (acting as a 24/7 designated driver), sleep deprivation for “mandatory” meetings, social isolation, and being required to carry humiliating items—like the “pledge fanny pack” in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case that contained condoms and sex toys.
• Harassment Hazing: Behavior causing emotional or physical discomfort. This involves verbal abuse, forced consumption of unpalatable substances (like the milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns forced on Leonel Bermudez), extreme calisthenics (“smokings”), and public humiliation shared on group chats like GroupMe or Discord.
• Violent Hazing: Activities with a high potential for severe injury or death. This is what leads to lawsuits. It includes forced alcohol consumption to the point of alcohol poisoning, physical beatings and paddling, dangerous physical “tests” like the 100+ push-ups and 500 squats inflicted on Bermudez, simulated waterboarding (being sprayed in the face with a hose), sexualized acts, and kidnapping for “retreats.”

The medical consequences are real and severe. Leonel Bermudez developed rhabdomyolysis—a severe skeletal muscle breakdown—and acute kidney failure. He passed brown urine, was hospitalized for four days, and faces a lifelong risk of permanent kidney damage. This is the catastrophic outcome of violent hazing, and it happens in Texas.

The Texas Legal Framework: Your Child’s Rights and Recourse

Texas has some of the nation’s most clearly defined anti-hazing laws, found in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 37. Understanding this framework is the first step to holding offenders accountable.

Texas Hazing Law (Education Code Chapter 37) at a Glance:

• Definition: Any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers physical or mental health for the purpose of initiation, affiliation, or membership in 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.
• Critical Protections: Consent is NOT a defense. It does not matter if your child “agreed” to participate; the law recognizes the power imbalance and coercion inherent in these situations. Furthermore, individuals who report hazing in good faith or call for medical help have certain immunities.
• Organizational Liability: Fraternities, sororities, and other organizations can be fined up to $10,000 per violation and lose university recognition.

Civil Lawsuits: The Path to Accountability and Recovery
A criminal case, handled by the state, seeks punishment. A civil lawsuit, which we file on behalf of your family, seeks compensation for the harm done and forces institutional change. The defendants in a civil hazing case can include:

1. The individual students who perpetrated the acts.
2. The local chapter as an entity.
3. The national fraternity or sorority headquarters (like Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity).
4. The university (like the University of Houston System Board of Regents).
5. Housing corporations and alumni associations that own properties or oversee chapters.

In the Bermudez case, we named all of these entities: 13 individual members, the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter, its housing corporation, the Pi Kappa Phi national organization, the University of Houston, and the UH System Board of Regents. This comprehensive approach is vital to uncovering all available insurance coverage and assets to secure a meaningful recovery.

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

The hazing that occurs at Texas universities is not unique. It follows a national playbook used by the same fraternities that operate here. Understanding these patterns proves that the harm was foreseeable—and therefore preventable.

• Stone Foltz / Pi Kappa Alpha (Bowling Green State, 2021): A pledge died after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol. The $10 million settlement ($7M from nationals, $3M from the university) shows the financial stakes.
• Timothy Piazza / Beta Theta Pi (Penn State, 2017): A bid-acceptance night with forced drinking led to fatal falls. Dozens faced criminal charges, leading to Pennsylvania’s Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law.
• Max Gruver / Phi Delta Theta (LSU, 2017): A “Bible study” drinking game led to a death and the Max Gruver Act, a felony hazing law in Louisiana.
• Andrew Coffey / Pi Kappa Phi (Florida State, 2017): A “Big Brother” night with a handle of liquor caused a fatal alcohol poisoning, leading to a system-wide Greek life suspension.

These cases reveal the common threads: forced alcohol consumption, humiliation, delayed medical care, and institutional failure. The Pi Kappa Phi chapter at UH was following this same deadly script. When we take on a case, we use these national histories to demonstrate that the national organization knew the risks and failed to stop them.

The Texas University Landscape: Where City of Toco Families Send Their Kids

Parents in City of Toco and Lamar County often have students at a mix of regional universities and major state flagship schools. Hazing is a risk across this spectrum.

For Lamar County & City of Toco Families: Local and Regional Campuses

Texas A&M University-Commerce (Hunt County)
Just a 30-minute drive from many parts of Lamar County, Texas A&M-Commerce is a primary destination for local students. It has an active Greek life community with Interfraternity Council (IFC) and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) chapters.

• What to Know: As a public university within the Texas A&M System, it is governed by the same policies and liability frameworks as the flagship campus. Hazing incidents here would fall under the jurisdiction of local police and the university’s conduct office.
• For City of Toco Parents: If your child attends A&M-Commerce and is hazed, the legal process would involve courts in Hunt County or potentially your home county of Lamar. We have the geographic reach and experience to handle cases in this region.

Other Regional Universities:

• Paris Junior College (Lamar County): While primarily a two-year college, student clubs and organizations can still engage in hazardous initiation practices.
• University of Texas at Tyler (Smith County): A growing regional university with Greek life.
• Texas A&M University-Texarkana (Bowie County): Another A&M System school attracting Northeast Texas students.

Major Texas Universities with Deep Hazing Histories

Many City of Toco students also aspire to or attend the state’s largest universities, where Greek life and tradition are deeply ingrained.

University of Houston (UH) – The Active Case in Our Backyard
The ongoing Leonel Bermudez vs. UH & Pi Kappa Phi lawsuit is the flagship example of severe hazing in Texas today. The details are critical for every parent to understand:

• The Hazing: Beyond the “pledge fanny pack,” acts included cold-weather exposure, lying in vomit-soaked grass, being sprayed with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” forced overeating followed by sprints, and a brutal Nov. 3 workout of 100+ push-ups and 500 squats.
• The Harm: Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure requiring hospitalization.
• The Response: Pi Kappa Phi national suspended the chapter on Nov. 6, 2025. The chapter voted to surrender its charter on Nov. 14, 2025. UH called the conduct “deeply disturbing.”
• The Lesson for You: This is happening now. The institutions involved—a major public university and a national fraternity—are the same types of defendants we would pursue in your case. You can read the detailed media coverage in the Click2Houston report and ABC13 coverage.

Texas A&M University (College Station)
The Corps of Cadets and a massive Greek system create a high-risk environment.

• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) Chemical Burns Case: Pledges were allegedly doused with industrial-strength cleaner, causing severe burns requiring skin grafts. A lawsuit sought over $1 million.
• Corps of Cadets “Roasted Pig” Lawsuit: A cadet alleged being bound between beds in a degrading, simulated sexual position as part of hazing.

University of Texas at Austin (UT)
UT maintains a public hazing violations log, offering a rare window into ongoing issues.

• Public Records: Sanctions have included Pi Kappa Alpha for forced milk consumption and calisthenics, and spirit groups for forced workouts and alcohol hazing.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon Assault Case (2024): A lawsuit alleges an exchange student was assaulted at a party, suffering a broken nose, fractured tibia, and dislocated leg.

Southern Methodist University (SMU) & Baylor University
These private universities have faced their own scandals, from Kappa Alpha Order paddling incidents at SMU to Baylor baseball team hazing suspensions. Their private status changes some legal procedures but not the underlying liability for harmful acts.

The Organizations Behind the Letters: A Public Records Directory for Texas Parents

When hazing occurs, liability often extends beyond the students in the room. National organizations, alumni groups, and housing corporations can all share responsibility. We maintain a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine, built from public IRS and state data, to track these entities. This investigative depth is what sets us apart.

If you are a parent in City of Toco, you deserve to know who really stands behind the Greek organizations connected to your child. Below is a sample of the public records we utilize to build cases. These are organizations registered with the IRS (EIN: Employer Identification Number) or operating in Texas metros, relevant to campuses City of Toco students attend.

Sample Public Records: Fraternities, Sororities & Greek Organizations

• Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity, EIN 74-2911848, Fort Worth, TX 76244. (Cause IQ Metro Listing: Dallas-Fort Worth).
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc, EIN 74-1380362, Fort Worth, TX 76147. (IRS B83 Filing).
• Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, EIN 74-6064445, Nederland, TX 77627. (IRS B83 Filing – Epsilon Kappa Chapter).
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, EIN 36-4091267, Waco, TX 76710. (IRS B83 Filing – Xi Chi Chapter).
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, EIN 26-3170920, Denton, TX 76204. (IRS B83 Filing – Texas Woman’s University Chapter).
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, EIN 52-1278573, Dallas, TX 75241. (IRS B83 Filing – Lambda Lambda Chapter).
• Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity Inc, EIN 47-5380943, Houston, TX 77204. (IRS B83 Filing – Theta Delta Chapter).
• Building Corporation of Delta Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, EIN 74-6047117, Austin, TX 78705. (IRS B83 Filing).

This is just a snapshot. Our full directory tracks over 1,400 Greek-related entities across 25 Texas metros. Why does this matter? If a fraternity house in Commerce is owned by an alumni housing corporation in Frisco, that corporation and its insurance are potential defendants. We know how to find them.

Building a Hazing Case with Attorney911: Evidence, Strategy, and Recovery

When you come to us, we don’t start from zero. We start with data, experience, and a proven strategy forged in complex litigation against billion-dollar corporations like BP.

1. Evidence Preservation: The Critical First Step
The window to save evidence is short. We guide families to:

• Digital Evidence: Preserve all group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), social media posts, and emails. We work with digital forensics experts to recover deleted messages. Watch our video on using your phone to document evidence.
• Medical Documentation: Secure all ER records, lab results (key for proving rhabdomyolysis), and referrals to specialists. A formal PTSD diagnosis from a psychologist is powerful evidence of emotional damages.
• Institutional Records: We subpoena university conduct files and national fraternity risk management reports to prove prior knowledge and patterns.

2. Overcoming Institutional Defenses
We anticipate and dismantle the standard defenses:

• “They Consented”: Texas law (§37.155) explicitly states consent is not a defense to hazing.
• “It Was Off-Campus”: Liability is not limited by geography. Nationals and universities can be responsible for off-campus conduct they sponsor or knowingly allow.
• “It Was a Rogue Chapter”: We use national pattern evidence (like Pi Kappa Phi’s history) to prove the conduct was foreseeable and the national failed to supervise.

3. Recovering Full and Fair Damages
Our goal is to make your family whole and force change. Recoverable damages include:

• Economic Damages: All medical bills (past and future), lost tuition from withdrawn semesters, and lost future earning capacity if injuries are permanent.
• Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for physical pain, emotional trauma, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death Damages: In the worst cases, families can recover for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and their own emotional suffering.

We work with economists and life-care planners to build a comprehensive picture of your losses, ensuring we don’t settle for less than your case is worth.

Practical Steps and Critical Advice for City of Toco Families

For Parents: Your Action Plan

1. Listen & Document: If your child opens up, write down dates, times, locations, and names immediately.
2. Seek Medical Care: Even for seemingly minor injuries. A medical record creates a timestamp and official documentation of harm.
3. Report Strategically: You can report to campus police, the Dean of Students, and local law enforcement. However, consult with an attorney first to understand how reporting might affect an investigation.
4. Contact Us Early: Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free consultation. We can help you navigate every step that follows, protecting your child’s rights and your family’s interests.

Critical Mistakes That Can Ruin a Case:

• Deleting Evidence: Do not let your child “clean up” their phone. Screenshot everything first.
• Confronting the Fraternity: This triggers evidence destruction and witness coaching.
• Signing University Paperwork: Universities may offer “informal resolution” that waives your right to sue. Do not sign anything without legal review.
• Waiting Too Long: Texas has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury, but evidence decays daily. Learn more in our video on Texas statutes of limitations.
• Talking to Insurance Adjusters Alone: Their goal is to settle for pennies. Let us handle all communications.

Why Choose Attorney911? Texas Hazing Litigation Specialists

When your family is facing a hazing crisis, you need more than a general personal injury lawyer. You need attorneys who understand the intricate power dynamics of Greek life, the tactics of university and fraternity insurers, and how to win against well-funded institutional defendants.

Our Proven Advantages:

1. Active, High-Stakes Litigation Experience: We are currently litigating the Leonel Bermudez $10M hazing case against the University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi. This isn’t historical knowledge; it’s active, frontline expertise we apply to every case.
2. Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña (he/him), spent years as an insurance defense attorney for a national firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers value claims, deny coverage, and delay settlements. We use their playbook against them.
3. Complex Institutional Litigation Credentials: Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff attorneys involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by billion-dollar defendants, deep-pocketed national fraternities, or massive university systems.
4. The Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: We don’t guess at who is liable. We use our proprietary database of Texas Greek organizations—built from public IRS, university, and metro records—to identify every entity with potential liability and insurance coverage.
5. Dual Civil & Criminal Expertise: Ralph’s membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means we understand the interplay between criminal hazing charges and civil lawsuits. We can effectively advise clients through both processes.
6. Spanish-Language Services: Mr. Peña speaks fluent Spanish, ensuring Hispanic families in City of Toco and across Texas can navigate this process comfortably and confidently.
7. Contingency Fee Basis: You pay nothing unless we win your case. Learn how this works in our video on contingency fees.

Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation

If hazing has hurt your child, you are not alone. The path forward can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to walk it without expert guidance.

We invite you to contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) for a free, no-obligation consultation. In this confidential meeting, we will:

• Listen compassionately to your story.
• Review any evidence you have gathered.
• Explain your legal rights and options under Texas law.
• Outline a potential strategy for investigation and recovery.
• Answer all your questions about the process, timeline, and costs.

Contact Us Today:

• Call: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
• Direct: (713) 528-9070
• Website: https://attorney911.com
• Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com
• Se habla Español.

We serve families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, and we are here to help families in City of Toco, Lamar County, and throughout Northeast Texas find justice, accountability, and a path forward.

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of the UH Pi Kappa Phi Case:

• Click2Houston Investigation: 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 Eyewitness News Timeline: 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 to Document Evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
• Texas Statutes of Limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
• How Contingency Fees Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc

Main Firm Website:

• Attorney911: https://attorney911.com

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 need legal advice, please contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC for a consultation.

The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911
Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas
Call 24/7: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)