The Comprehensive Guide to Hazing Litigation for Families in Lakeside, Texas

If you are a parent in Lakeside, your highest hopes send your child away to a Texas university. Your deepest fear is the phone call saying they’ve been hurt in a place meant for growth and community. That nightmare became a reality for the family of Leonel Bermudez, a student at the University of Houston, and it is a stark warning for every family in San Patricio County.

Right now, we are actively litigating one of the most serious hazing cases in Texas history. Our client, Leonel Bermudez, suffered catastrophic injuries—severe muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) and acute kidney failure—after enduring systematic abuse as a pledge of the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter at UH. The alleged hazing included being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” forced to consume milk and hot dogs until vomiting, completing hundreds of push-ups and squats under threat of expulsion, and carrying a degrading “pledge fanny pack” at all times. He was hospitalized for four days. The chapter has been shut down, and we have filed a $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston, Pi Kappa Phi’s national headquarters, the local housing corporation, and 13 individual fraternity leaders.

This is not an isolated incident. It is a symptom of a dangerous culture that exists on campuses across Texas, including those where Lakeside families send their children. This guide exists to give you, a parent in the Lakeside community, the knowledge, resources, and understanding you need to protect your child and to seek justice if the worst happens.

Immediate Help for a Hazing Emergency in Lakeside

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for medical emergencies.
• Then call us, Attorney911, immediately: 1-888-AT
  TY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We are the Legal Emergency Lawyers™ for a reason.

In the First 48 Hours, Before Calling Anyone Else:

1. Get Medical Attention: Even if your child insists they are “fine,” hospital documentation is critical for injuries like rhabdomyolysis, concussions, or alcohol poisoning.
2. Preserve Digital Evidence: Screenshot EVERY group chat (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage), text, and social media post related to the incident. Photograph all injuries from multiple angles.
3. Secure Physical Evidence: Do not wash clothing; save any items like paddles, receipts for alcohol, or “pledge” paraphernalia.
4. Document Everything: Write down everything your child tells you—names, dates, locations, specific acts—while their memory is fresh.
5. DO NOT:
   • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team.
   • Let your child delete messages or “clean up” their phone.
   • Post details on public social media.
   • Give a statement to a university administrator or insurance adjuster without an attorney.

We serve families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. If hazing has touched your family in Lakeside, Ingleside, Portland, or anywhere in the Coastal Bend, we are here to help you navigate this crisis with experience and determination.

The Hidden Greek Ecosystem: What Lakeside Parents Don’t See

When your child joins a fraternity or sorority, they are not just joining a group of students. They are entering a complex web of legally distinct organizations, each with its own insurance, assets, and liability. At Attorney911, we maintain a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine built from public records to map this exact network. For families in Lakeside, this means we don’t start from scratch; we already know the players.

Public Records Directory: Greek Organizations Serving Texas & Lakeside Families

Below is a sample from our proprietary directory of Texas-registered Greek organizations, compiled from IRS filings and public data. This illustrates the tangible, corporate structure behind the “letters” your child wears.

A Snapshot of Texas Greek Entities (From IRS B83 Filings):

• Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity – EIN 746064445 – Nederland, TX 77627 (IRS B83 filing)
• Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc – EIN 462267515 – Frisco, TX 75035 (IRS B83 filing)
• Texas Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation Inc – EIN 741380362 – Fort Worth, TX 76147 (IRS B83 filing)
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority – EIN 364091267 – Waco, TX 76710 (IRS B83 filing)
• Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi – EIN 900293166 – College Station, TX 77843 (Chapter at Texas A&M University)
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity – EIN 237279532 – Prairie View, TX 77446 (IRS B83 filing)
• Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity Inc – EIN 475370943 – Houston, TX 77204 (Theta Delta Chapter)
• Chi Omega Fraternity – EIN 740555581 – Austin, TX 78705 (Chi Omega House Corporation)

Local & Metro Context for the Coastal Bend:
The Corpus Christi metro area, which includes San Patricio County and Lakeside, is home to numerous Greek organizations that support campus life. According to our Cause IQ metro data, this includes undergraduate chapters, alumni associations, and honor societies tied to local universities like Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Statewide, our intelligence engine tracks over 1,423 Greek-related organizations across 25 Texas metros.

This data is not academic. In a case like Leonel Bermudez’s, it allows us to immediately identify every potentially liable entity: the local chapter, its housing corporation (like the one listed above in Frisco), the national fraternity headquarters, and related alumni support organizations. This comprehensive approach is how we maximize accountability and recovery for families.

Where Lakeside Families Send Their Kids: Campus Connections

Families in Lakeside and surrounding San Patricio County have deep educational ties across Texas. Your child might attend a local institution, a flagship university hours away, or something in between. Hazing risk exists at all of them.

Nearby Campuses for Lakeside & Coastal Bend Students:

• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, Nueces County)
• Del Mar College (Corpus Christi, Nueces County)
• Coastal Bend College (Beeville, Bee County)

Major Texas Universities Attended by Lakeside Area Students:

• 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 Bermudez case
• Texas State University (San Marcos, Hays County)
• Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Lubbock County)

The tragic pattern is that the same national fraternities and sororities involved in high-profile deaths and injuries nationwide have chapters on these very campuses. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Texas A&M faced a lawsuit over alleged chemical burns. The University of Texas at Austin publicly sanctions chapters like Pi Kappa Alpha for hazing violations. The proximity to Corpus Christi or the distance to College Station does not change the fundamental risk. Wherever your child goes to school, they may encounter organizations with documented, dangerous histories.

Texas Hazing Law Explained for Lakeside Families

Texas has clear laws designed to protect students. Understanding them is your first shield.

Texas Education Code, Chapter 37, Subchapter F defines hazing broadly as any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers the mental or physical health of a student for the purpose of initiation or affiliation. Key points for parents:

• Consent is NOT a Defense: It does not matter if your child “went along with it.” The law recognizes the power imbalance and coercion inherent in pledging.
• It’s a Crime: Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor but becomes a state jail felony if it causes serious bodily injury or death—like the kidney failure in the UH Pi Kappa Phi case.
• Individual & Organizational Liability: Both the students who commit the acts and the organization that authorized or knowingly allowed it can be prosecuted and fined.
• Immunity for Reporting: Texas law protects those who report hazing in good faith, and most universities have medical amnesty policies to encourage calling 911.

Civil Liability is Separate and Critical. A criminal case punishes the wrongdoer. A civil lawsuit, which we handle, seeks to compensate your family for the immense damages caused and to force institutional change. We can sue:

• The individual perpetrators.
• The local chapter.
• The national fraternity or sorority (for negligent supervision and failure to stop known patterns).
• The university (for deliberate indifference to a known risk on campus).
• Housing corporations and property owners.

In the Bermudez case, we are using this multi-defendant strategy, suing from the chapter president all the way up to the University of Houston System Board of Regents and Pi Kappa Phi’s national council.

Why Attorney911 for Your Lakeside Family’s Hazing Case

When you choose an attorney, you are choosing a team’s experience, resources, and resolve. Here is why families across Texas, including those in Lakeside, trust us with their most sensitive and serious cases.

1. We Are Litigating a Landmark Texas Hazing Case Right Now. We are not theorizing about hazing law; we are in the thick of it. Our active representation of Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi gives us current, tactical experience that directly benefits our clients. You can read the initial coverage of this case from Click2Houston and ABC13.

2. Unmatched Investigative Depth with the Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine. As shown above, we begin with data. We map the entire organizational landscape using public records to identify every source of liability and insurance. We know how to subpoena national fraternity risk management files that show prior warnings and unheeded complaints.

3. Insider Knowledge of Insurance Defense Tactics. Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as a defense lawyer for a national insurance firm. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers will try to deny claims, minimize injuries, and drag out cases. We use this insider knowledge to anticipate and counter their strategies from day one. Learn more about Mr. Peña’s background at https://attorney911.com/attorneys/lupe-pena/.

4. Experience Against Billion-Dollar Institutions. Managing Partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few plaintiff lawyers involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. We are not intimidated by large universities or national fraternities with deep pockets and high-powered lawyers. We have a proven record of success in complex wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases.

5. A Compassionate, Family-First Approach. We are parents ourselves. We understand the terror, confusion, and anger you feel. We guide you through this process with clear communication, treating your family with the dignity and respect you deserve while we fight aggressively on your behalf.

If You Suspect Hazing: A Step-by-Step Guide for Lakeside Parents

1. Have a Calm, Supportive Conversation. Ask open-ended questions: “Are you safe?” “Is there anything you’re being asked to do that makes you uncomfortable?” “What happens if someone says no?” Reassure them your love is unconditional and their safety is all that matters.

2. Preserve Evidence Immediately. Follow the 48-hour checklist at the top of this guide. We have a dedicated video on using your phone to document legal evidence that can help.

3. Seek a Confidential Legal Consultation BEFORE Reporting. Once you report to a university, their primary goal becomes limiting institutional liability. Contact us first. We can advise you on how to navigate reporting to best protect your child’s rights and your potential claim. Understand the critical deadlines by watching our video on Texas statutes of limitations.

4. Avoid Common, Case-Damaging Mistakes. We see families unknowingly harm their cases by confronting the fraternity, letting evidence be deleted, or giving recorded statements to insurance adjusters. Learn more about these pitfalls in our video on client mistakes that ruin injury cases.

5. Let Us Build a Case for Accountability. We will investigate thoroughly, utilizing medical experts, digital forensics specialists, and our Greek organization data engine. We fight on a contingency fee basis, meaning there is no cost to you unless we win your case. See how this works in our video explaining contingency fees.

You Are Not Alone. Contact Attorney911 Today.

The journey from a hazing injury to justice is complex, but you do not have to walk it alone. From our home in Texas, we stand with families in Lakeside, Corpus Christi, and across the state to confront the culture of hazing and hold every responsible party accountable.

If your child has been injured, humiliated, or abused in connection with a fraternity, sorority, athletic team, Corps program, or any campus organization, we are here to listen and to help.

Call us 24/7 for a free, completely confidential consultation: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911).

Visit our website at https://attorney911.com to learn more about our firm, our attorneys, and our commitment to serving Texas families in their greatest time of need.

Se habla Español. Contacte a Lupe Peña directamente.

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 Eyewitness News 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 Cellphone to Document Evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
• Texas Statutes of Limitations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHwg8tV02c
• Client Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IYsoxOSxY
• How Contingency Fees Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upcI_j6F7Nc

Attorney911 Main Website & Contact:

• Main Website: https://attorney911.com

Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please consult with an attorney regarding your specific situation.