Fraternity & Sorority Hazing Guide for Town of Livingston, TX Families: Your Legal Roadmap to Justice and Accountability

If you’re a parent in Town of Livingston, the heart of the Big Thicket in Polk County, the news from Houston feels both distant and terrifyingly close. Your child, perhaps the first in your family to attend a major university, is excited about campus life. Then, a late-night phone call changes everything. Your son can’t stand up. His urine is brown. He’s being rushed to the hospital from a fraternity house, hours away from the quiet streets of Livingston. The doctors say it’s rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure from extreme physical hazing. The university calls it “deeply disturbing.” The fraternity says the chapter is shut down. But your child’s life is forever altered. What do you do now?

This is not a hypothetical. It is the active, multi-million-dollar lawsuit we are fighting right now for Leonel Bermudez against the University of Houston and the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. For families in Livingston, Cookville, Goodrich, and across Polk County sending students to Texas campuses, hazing is a present and brutal reality. This comprehensive guide is for you. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, your legal rights under Texas law, the grim national patterns, and what’s happening at the universities your children attend. Most importantly, we will show you how to fight back.

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. Preserve evidence—screenshot group chats (GroupMe, texts) and photograph injuries immediately. Write down everything. Do NOT confront the fraternity/sorority, sign anything from the university, or let your child delete messages.
• Contact an experienced hazing attorney within 24–48 hours. Evidence disappears fast. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, immediate consultation.

Hazing in 2025: What It Really Looks Like for Texas Students

Hazing has evolved far beyond simple pranks. It is a calculated system of control, humiliation, and abuse designed to test loyalty through suffering. For families in Livingston, understanding these modern tactics is the first step in recognizing the danger.

Modern Hazing is Methodical and Digital. The “pledge fanny pack” rule from the UH Pi Kappa Phi case is a prime example. Pledges were forced to carry a bag 24/7 containing condoms, a sex toy, and nicotine devices—a tool for constant humiliation. Coordination happens in GroupMe chats, with punishments for not responding instantly. Hazing is scheduled: enforced dress codes, mandatory “study blocks,” weekly interviews, and overnight chauffeuring duties for members.

The Abuse is Physical and Psychological. The acts alleged in the UH lawsuit are a blueprint:

• Extreme Physical Drills: Sprints, bear crawls, wheelbarrow races, and “save-your-brother” exercises until collapse.
• Torture-Tactics: Being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding,” threats of actual waterboarding, and being forced to lie in vomit-soaked grass.
• Forced Consumption: Made to drink milk and eat hot dogs and peppercorns until vomiting, then immediately forced to sprint.
• Dangerous “Workouts”: Like the November 3 session that led to Leonel Bermudez’s hospitalization: 100+ push-ups and 500 squats under threat of expulsion.

The Goal is Secrecy and Power. These acts occur at chapter houses, off-campus residences (like the Culmore Drive home in the UH case), and remote locations like Yellowstone Boulevard Park in Houston. Victims are conditioned to believe that enduring this abuse is the price of brotherhood or sisterhood. Consent is manipulated; the power imbalance makes refusal seem impossible.

Law & Liability Framework: Texas Law and Your Family’s Rights

Texas has strong laws against hazing, but navigating them requires precision. Here’s what Livingston families need to know.

Texas Education Code Chapter 37: The Hazing Statute.
Hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless act that endangers a student’s physical or mental health for the purpose of initiation or affiliation with a group. Critically, §37.155 states that the victim’s “consent” is not a defense. This shatters the common fraternity argument that “they wanted to be part of it.”

• Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class B misdemeanor. If it causes serious bodily injury (like kidney failure or traumatic brain injury) or death, it becomes a state jail felony. Individuals can also be charged for failing to report hazing.
• Organizational Liability: The fraternity or sorority itself can be fined up to $10,000 per violation.

Civil Lawsuits: The Path to Accountability and Compensation.
A criminal case, handled by the state, seeks punishment. A civil lawsuit, which we file on behalf of families, seeks to make the victim whole and hold every responsible party accountable. The defendants can include:

1. The Individual Perpetrators: The members who carried out the acts.
2. The Local Chapter: As an entity.
3. The National Fraternity/Sorority Headquarters: For failing to supervise and stop known, pervasive patterns of hazing.
4. The University: For negligent supervision and failing to protect students on campus or in recognized organizations.
5. Housing Corporations & Alumni Boards: The legal entities that own properties and provide structure.

The Federal Overlay: Title IX, Clery, and the Stop Campus Hazing Act.
Federal law provides additional avenues. If hazing involves sexual harassment or assault, Title IX obligations are triggered. The Clery Act requires universities to report certain crimes. The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024) now mandates more transparent reporting and public hazing data, increasing institutional accountability nationwide.

National Hazing Case Patterns: The Blueprint for Institutional Failure

The tragedy in Houston follows a national script. These are not isolated incidents; they are predictable, preventable patterns that national fraternities and universities have seen for decades.

• Stone Foltz – Bowling Green State (Pi Kappa Alpha, 2021): A pledge died after being forced to drink a bottle of alcohol. Result: A $10 million settlement ($7M from nationals, $3M from BGSU) and criminal convictions.
• Timothy Piazza – Penn State (Beta Theta Pi, 2017): Death from traumatic brain injury after a night of forced drinking, with help delayed for hours. Result: Dozens of criminal charges and a new Pennsylvania anti-hazing law.
• Max Gruver – LSU (Phi Delta Theta, 2017): Died from alcohol poisoning after a “Bible study” drinking game. Result: Felony hazing convictions and the Max Gruver Act in Louisiana.
• Andrew Coffey – Florida State (Pi Kappa Phi, 2017): Died after a “Big Brother” night. This is the same national fraternity involved in the UH case against our client.

The Pattern is Clear: Forced drinking, extreme physical exertion, delayed medical care, and institutional cover-ups. When we take a case for a family in Livingston, we use these national precedents to prove that the harm was foreseeable and that the national organization failed in its duty to prevent it.

Texas Focus: Where Livingston Students Go to College

Polk County families send their children to universities across Texas. The hazing risk is present at all of them. Our firm maintains a Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine—a database of over 1,400 Greek organizations across 25 metros—to track this ecosystem. Here’s what you need to know about key schools.

University of Houston: A Live, Active Case in Our Backyard

The Leonel Bermudez case is not historical. It is a $10 million active lawsuit we filed in late 2025. Our client, a UH student, suffered life-threatening kidney failure after the hazing detailed earlier. The Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter was suspended and then voted to surrender its charter. Defendants include 13 individual members, the chapter housing corporation, Pi Kappa Phi nationals, UH, and the UH System Board of Regents. This case proves that the most severe hazing is happening right now at Texas universities. For Livingston families with students at UH, this is your starkest warning.

Texas A&M University: Corps Culture and Greek Life

For many in East Texas, A&M is a dream school. Its culture carries unique risks.

• The Corps of Cadets: In 2023, a lawsuit alleged cadets were subjected to degrading hazing, including being bound in a “roasted pig” position with an apple in their mouth.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE): In a recent lawsuit, pledges alleged being doused with substances including industrial-strength cleaner, causing severe chemical burns requiring skin grafts.
  The Takeaway: Hazing permeates both the military-style Corps and traditional Greek life at A&M. The university’s sheer size and powerful traditions can make reporting intimidating, but the law protects victims.

University of Texas at Austin: Transparency and Repeated Violations

UT Austin publishes a public hazing violations log—a resource we use to prove patterns.

• Recent sanctions list organizations for forced consumption (milk, alcohol), strenuous calisthenics as punishment, and psychological abuse.
• Fraternities like Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha appear in these logs and in national news for severe hazing elsewhere.
  For Livingston Families: UT’s transparency is a double-edged sword. It shows the problem is acknowledged, yet violations continue. This documented history becomes powerful evidence in a civil lawsuit.

Other Texas Universities

• Baylor University: Has faced hazing issues within its baseball program and Greek life, often scrutinized under its Christian mission.
• Sam Houston State University (Huntsville): As a closer option for some Polk County students, SHSU has active Greek life subject to the same risks and Texas laws.

Fraternities & Sororities: National Histories Connect to Texas Chapters

When a chapter at UH or A&M hazes, it is often following a national playbook. We investigate these connections relentlessly.

Using the Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine: A Peek Behind the Curtain.
Our firm tracks the public records of Greek organizations across Texas. For example, our data shows the Beta Nu Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation Inc. (EIN 462267515) is registered in Frisco, TX. We track national brands like Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha across multiple Texas metros and campuses. This means when we take a case, we don’t start from zero. We already know how to find the legal entities, housing corporations, and national networks behind the Greek letters on campus.

Why This Matters: If a Pi Kappa Alpha chapter at UT Austin hazes a student, the national organization cannot claim ignorance. We can point to the death of Stone Foltz at Bowling Green and say, “You knew this exact ‘Big/Little’ drinking ritual was lethal. You failed to stop it here.” This establishes negligence and gross negligence, which can lead to punitive damages.

Building a Case: Evidence, Strategy, and the Attorney911 Advantage

Winning a hazing case requires an investigative depth that matches the defendants’ resources. Here is our process.

Evidence Collection: The Digital Battlefield.
The first 48 hours are critical. We guide families to preserve:

• Group Chats: Screenshots of GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage threads showing planning, coercion, and boasts about the hazing.
• Social Media: Photos/videos on Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok from the events.
• Medical Records: Complete documentation of injuries, from ER reports to long-term kidney function tests for rhabdomyolysis.
• Internal Documents: Pledge manuals, chapter meeting notes, and communications with national headquarters.

Our Investigative Edge.

• Insurance Insider Knowledge: Our attorney, Mr. Lupe Peña, spent years as an insurance defense lawyer for large companies. He knows exactly how fraternity and university insurers will try to deny, delay, and undervalue claims. We anticipate their tactics because we used to work on their side.
• Complex Litigation Experience: Managing partner Ralph Manginello was one of the few Texas lawyers involved in the BP Texas City explosion litigation. Suing a billion-dollar corporation or a major university with limitless legal funds doesn’t intimidate us. We’ve done it before.
• Data-Driven Investigation: We use our Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine to map every liable entity, from the local chapter president to the national housing corporation in another city.

Practical Guides & FAQs for Livingston Parents and Students

For Parents: Warning Signs

• Unexplained injuries, extreme fatigue, or drastic weight change.
• Personality shifts: new anxiety, depression, or secrecy about group activities.
• Being constantly on call via phone for the group, at all hours.
• Sudden, unexplained financial needs.

For Students: Is This Hazing?
If you are being pressured to do something dangerous, degrading, or illegal to belong, it is hazing. Your “consent” under pressure is not a legal defense for them. Your safety comes first.

Critical Mistakes That Can Ruin a Case

1. Deleting Evidence: Do not let your child clear group chats. Screenshot everything.
2. Confronting the Fraternity Directly: This triggers evidence destruction and witness coaching.
3. Signing University Paperwork Alone: Universities may offer quick “resolutions” that waive your right to sue. Have an attorney review everything.
4. Waiting Too Long: Texas has a statute of limitations. Evidence fades, witnesses graduate, and memories blur.

FAQs

• “Can we sue the university?” Yes, under theories of negligent supervision and failure to protect students.
• “What if it happened off-campus?” Location does not absolve liability for recognized student organizations.
• “How much does this cost?” We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we win your case.
• “Will our name be public?” Many cases settle confidentially. We fight to protect your family’s privacy throughout the process.

About Attorney911: Why Texas Hazing Families Choose Us

When your family in Livingston faces a hazing crisis, you need more than a lawyer; you need advocates who understand the depth of the fight. The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) is a Texas-based firm with a national reputation for complex institutional litigation.

Our Hazing Litigation Team:

• Ralph Manginello: With over 25 years of experience, federal court admission, and a background that includes the BP Texas City disaster litigation, Ralph understands how to dismantle large, defensive institutions. His membership in the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA) means he also understands the criminal side of hazing investigations.
• Mr. Lupe Peña: A former insurance defense attorney, Lupe brings insider knowledge of how the other side values and fights claims. His fluency in Spanish ensures we can serve all Texas families fully. You can learn more about Lupe’s background at https://attorney911.com/attorneys/lupe-pena/.

We are not just personal injury lawyers; we are institutional accountability lawyers. We apply the same rigorous investigation used in catastrophic refinery cases and wrongful death trucking accidents to hazing. We deploy experts—medical specialists, forensic economists, digital recovery experts—to build an unassailable case.

Call to Action for Town of Livingston Families

If hazing has hurt your child at UH, Texas A&M, UT, or any Texas campus, you are not alone. The path from trauma to accountability begins with a conversation.

We offer a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation to every family. We will listen to your story, review the evidence you have, and explain your legal options clearly and honestly. There is no pressure. Our goal is to ensure you have the information and support needed to make the best decision for your child and your family.

Contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911 Today:

• Phone: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
• Local: (713) 528-9070
• Website: https://attorney911.com
• Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com
• Se Habla Español: Mr. Peña provides full services in Spanish.

We serve families across Texas from our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont. If you’re in Livingston, Leggett, or Moscow, we are here to help you navigate this crisis and fight for the justice and security your child deserves.

Legal Disclaimer

This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC.

Hazing laws, university policies, and legal precedents can change. The information in this guide is current as of late 2025 but may not reflect the most recent developments. Every hazing case is unique, and outcomes depend on the specific facts, evidence, applicable law, and many other factors.

If you or your child has been affected by hazing, we strongly encourage you to consult with a qualified Texas attorney who can review your specific situation, explain your legal rights, and advise you on the best course of action for your family.

The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC / Attorney911
Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas
Call: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com