The Complete Guide to Hazing Lawsuits for Walker County, AL Families: Your Child’s Rights & Your Legal Options

If Your Child Was Hazed at an Alabama or Out-of-State University, You Are Not Alone

As parents in Walker County, our children’s safety is our deepest concern. We send them to universities in Alabama, across the South, or nationwide with hope and pride. The nightmare begins when a late-night call reveals something is terribly wrong. Your child sounds different—afraid, secretive, injured, or deeply ashamed. They mention “pledge activities,” “team bonding,” or “chapter traditions” that have crossed a dangerous line. You learn they’ve been forced to drink, deprived of sleep, subjected to brutal physical tests, or humiliated in group chats. The organization they wanted to join has become a source of trauma, and the university’s response feels inadequate. You’re left searching for answers, accountability, and a way to protect your child’s future.

Right now, our firm is fighting one of the most serious hazing cases in the country. We represent Leonel Bermudez, a student at the University of Houston, against the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter, its national headquarters, and the university itself in a $10 million hazing and abuse lawsuit. The allegations are harrowing: a “pledge fanny pack” filled with humiliating items, enforced servitude, and extreme physical hazing—including being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding” and forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting. This culminated in Mr. Bermudez developing rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown) and acute kidney failure, passing brown urine, and being hospitalized for four days. The chapter has been shut down, but the fight for justice continues. This active litigation in Texas proves our firm’s serious, data-driven approach to holding powerful institutions accountable.

This guide is written specifically for parents and families in Walker County, Jasper, Carbon Hill, Dora, and surrounding communities. Whether your child attends the University of Alabama, Auburn, Samford, UAB, or any college across the United States, the reality of hazing transcends state lines. We will explain what modern hazing truly looks like, the legal frameworks that apply, and how our Texas-based expertise can help your family seek accountability, even from a distance.

Immediate Help for Hazing Emergencies

If your child is in danger RIGHT NOW:

• Call 911 for any medical emergency.
• Then call Attorney911: 1-888-ATTY-911 (1-888-288-9911). We provide immediate legal guidance.

In the First 48 Hours:

1. Get Medical Attention: Even if injuries seem minor, have your child evaluated. Conditions like rhabdomyolysis or internal trauma may not be immediately apparent.
2. Preserve Evidence BEFORE It Disappears:
   • Screenshot ALL group chats (GroupMe, WhatsApp, iMessage, Discord) showing planning, coercion, or discussions of the events.
   • Photograph injuries from multiple angles. Include a common object for scale.
   • Save any physical items used (paddles, clothing, bottles).
   • Write down everything your child recalls: names, dates, locations, specific acts.
3. Do NOT:
   • Confront the fraternity, sorority, or team directly.
   • Allow your child to delete messages or “clean up” their phone.
   • Post details on public social media.
   • Sign anything from the university or an insurance company.
   • Provide a recorded statement to anyone without an attorney.

Contact an experienced hazing attorney immediately. Evidence vanishes within days. Universities and national organizations move quickly to control the narrative. We can help you navigate this crisis from the first call. Contact Attorney911 at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation.

Understanding Hazing in 2025: Beyond the Stereotypes

Hazing is not a relic of the past or mere “boys will be boys” antics. It is a calculated pattern of abuse that exploits power imbalance, tradition, and secrecy. For Walker County families, understanding its modern forms is the first step to recognizing danger.

A Clear, Modern Definition

Hazing is any forced, coerced, or strongly pressured action tied to joining or maintaining status in a group, where the behavior endangers physical or mental health, humiliates, or exploits. The critical element is the power dynamic: new members or younger athletes feel they cannot refuse without severe social or reputational consequences. Under Alabama law (and most states), “consent” is not a defense. A student’s desire to belong does not excuse the organization’s reckless or intentional acts.

The Five Categories of Modern Hazing

1. Alcohol and Substance Hazing
This remains the most common and deadliest form. It’s not casual partying; it’s coercion.

• Forced/Coerced Consumption: “Lineup” drinking games, “Big/Little” nights with handles of liquor, trivia games where wrong answers mandate drinks.
• Consumption of Unknown Substances: Pressure to ingest unsafe concoctions or drugs.

2. Physical Hazing
Brutality disguised as “conditioning” or “tradition.”

• Paddling, Beatings, and “Smokings”: Extended, punitive calisthenics (hundreds of push-ups, wall-sits to collapse).
• Sleep and Deprivation Torture: Mandatory all-night events, wake-up calls at 3 AM for “meetings.”
• Environmental Exposure: Being locked in cold rooms, left outside in extreme weather.

3. Sexualized and Humiliating Hazing
Acts designed to degrade and dehumanize.

• Forced Nudity or Simulated Sexual Acts: “Elephant walks,” “roasted pig” positions.
• Degrading Costumes and Public Performances.
• Racist, Sexist, or Homophobic Role-Playing.

4. Psychological Hazing
Systematic emotional abuse.

• Verbal Assaults, Threats, and Isolation.
• “Grilling” Sessions: Intense, fear-based interrogations.
• Coerced Secrecy: Making pledges lie to parents, RAs, and university officials.

5. Digital Hazing
The 21st-century tool for control and humiliation.

• 24/7 Group Chat Terror: Demands for immediate responses at all hours, sleep disruption via notifications.
• Forced Social Media Content: Humiliating TikTok challenges, compromising Instagram stories.
• Geo-Tracking Demands: Requiring pledges to share live location via apps.
• Cyber-Bullying and Blackmail.

Where Hazing Happens: It’s Not Just Fraternities

While Greek life is a frequent setting, hazing pervades many groups where hierarchy and tradition exist:

• Fraternities and Sororities (Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Multicultural).
• Athletic Teams (from football and basketball to cheerleading and swim teams).
• Marching Bands and Performance Groups.
• Corps of Cadets, ROTC, and Military-Style Organizations.
• Spirit and Tradition Groups (like “Texas Cowboys” or similar campus organizations).
• Some Academic, Service, or Cultural Clubs.

The common thread is a culture of silence. Members are taught that “brotherhood”/“sisterhood” means protecting the organization above all else, even when someone is hurt.

The Legal Framework: Alabama Law, Federal Overlay, and Civil Liability

Understanding the legal landscape is crucial for Walker County families. Your child’s case may involve Alabama state law, the laws of the state where the university is located, and federal statutes.

Alabama’s Hazing Law

Alabama Code § 16-1-23 defines hazing and imposes penalties. Key provisions include:

• Definition: Any willful act directed against a student for the purpose of initiation into, affiliation with, or maintaining membership in any organization, which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of that student.
• Criminal Penalties: Hazing is a Class C misdemeanor in Alabama. If the hazing results in serious bodily injury, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor.
• Consent: As in Texas, consent of the victim is not a defense under Alabama law.
• Duty to Report: The law requires any person at a school, college, or university who witnesses or has knowledge of hazing to report it to law enforcement or school officials.

Important Distinction: Alabama’s penalties are generally less severe than those in states like Texas, Louisiana, or Pennsylvania, where felony charges are possible for serious injury or death. This highlights why a strategic civil lawsuit is often essential for achieving true accountability and compensation.

Criminal vs. Civil Cases: Two Paths to Accountability

Criminal Cases

• Brought by: The State (District Attorney or Prosecutor).
• Goal: Punishment (fines, probation, possible jail time).
• Charges: Can include hazing, assault, battery, furnishing alcohol to minors, or manslaughter in fatal cases.
• Outcome for Families: While justice is important, a criminal case does not provide financial compensation for medical bills, therapy, or other damages your family incurs.

Civil Lawsuits

• Brought by: The victim and their family (with legal counsel).
• Goal: Financial compensation (damages) and institutional accountability.
• Claims: Can include negligence, gross negligence, wrongful death, negligent supervision, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and premises liability.
• Outcome: A settlement or court award can cover medical expenses, future care, lost educational opportunities, pain and suffering, and more. It can also force policy changes.

These processes can run simultaneously. A not-guilty verdict or dropped criminal charges do not prevent a civil lawsuit, which has a lower burden of proof (preponderance of evidence vs. beyond a reasonable doubt).

Federal Laws That Apply Nationwide

1. The Stop Campus Hazing Act (2024)
This federal law, phased in through 2026, requires colleges receiving federal aid to:

• Report hazing incidents more transparently in their annual crime reports.
• Maintain and publish a hazing violation database.
• Strengthen hazing education and prevention programs.
  This law will increase public awareness of repeat-offender organizations.

2. Title IX of the Education Amendments
When hazing involves sexual harassment, sexual assault, or gender-based hostility, it triggers a university’s Title IX obligations to investigate and provide a safe educational environment.

3. The Clery Act
Requires universities to report certain campus crimes, including aggravated assault, liquor law violations, and drug abuse violations—offenses that often accompany hazing incidents.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Civil Hazing Lawsuit?

A strategic lawsuit looks beyond the individual who handed your child a bottle. We identify every entity that failed in its duty.

• Individual Students: The active participants, planners, and those who supplied alcohol or enforced the abuse.
• The Local Chapter: As an organization, it can be sued for creating a dangerous culture and failing to control its members.
• The National Fraternity/Sorority Headquarters: Often the deepest pocket. Nationals can be liable for negligent supervision if they knew or should have known about a dangerous pattern at the chapter (through prior incidents, lack of enforcement of their own policies, or inadequate training).
• The University: Both public (like the University of Alabama system) and private schools (like Samford) can face claims for deliberate indifference if they were aware of a substantial risk of hazing and failed to act. Universities control recognition, housing, and have conduct offices precisely to prevent such harm.
• Third Parties: Landlords of off-campus houses, bars that overserved minors, or security companies that failed in their duties.

Our approach in the Leonel Bermudez vs. UH & Pi Kappa Phi case exemplifies this: we sued 13 individual members, the local Beta Nu chapter housing corporation, the Pi Kappa Phi national headquarters, the University of Houston, and the UH System Board of Regents. This comprehensive strategy maximizes accountability and access to insurance coverage.

National Hazing Case Patterns: The Blueprint for Accountability

Major cases across the U.S. have established patterns, legal precedents, and multi-million-dollar settlements that directly inform how we build cases for Walker County families.

The Alcohol Poisoning & Death Pattern

• Timothy Piazza – Penn State, Beta Theta Pi (2017): A bid-acceptance night of forced drinking led to fatal falls. Brothers delayed calling 911 for hours. The case resulted in dozens of criminal charges, a major civil settlement, and Pennsylvania’s “Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law.”
• Stone Foltz – Bowling Green State, Pi Kappa Alpha (2021): Pledge forced to drink a bottle of whiskey during a “Big/Little” event; died of alcohol poisoning. The family reached a $10 million settlement ($7M from Pike nationals, ~$3M from BGSU). The chapter president was later ordered to pay $6.5 million personally.
• Max Gruver – LSU, Phi Delta Theta (2017): Died during a “Bible study” drinking game. Led to Louisiana’ felony Max Gruver Act. His family secured a $6.1 million verdict.

Takeaway for Walker County Families: The “forced drinking tradition” is a repeated, foreseeable script. Nationals and universities have been put on notice for decades. When they fail to eradicate it, their liability is clear.

The Physical & Ritualized Brutality Pattern

• Chun “Michael” Deng – Baruch College, Pi Delta Psi (2013): Pledge died from traumatic brain injury after a blindfolded, violent “glass ceiling” ritual at a retreat. The national fraternity was criminally convicted of manslaughter and banned from Pennsylvania for 10 years.
• Danny Santulli – University of Missouri, Phi Gamma Delta (2021): Pledge suffered permanent, catastrophic brain damage from a coerced drinking event. His family settled with 22 defendants, securing funds for his lifetime of 24/7 care.

Takeaway: Hazing moved “off-campus” to avoid detection is still hazing. National organizations are responsible for the rituals their chapters perpetuate.

The Athletic and Institutional Hazing Pattern

• Northwestern University Football (2023-2025): A scandal involving alleged sexualized and racist hazing led to multiple lawsuits, the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald, and confidential settlements. It proved hazing is not confined to Greek life.
• Robert Champion – Florida A&M Marching Band (2011): A drum major died from a brutal beating during a band hazing ritual. FAMU was held fully liable, agreeing to a $1 million settlement and sweeping policy reforms.

Takeaway: Universities have a duty to protect students in all sponsored activities, from the football field to the band practice room. “Tradition” is never an excuse for abuse.

What This Means for You: These national precedents create a legal roadmap. They establish that national organizations and universities have prior knowledge of these dangerous patterns. When we represent your family, we use this history to show that what happened to your child was not an “unforeseeable accident,” but a predictable and preventable failure.

Hazing Realities at Universities Relevant to Walker County Families

Walker County students attend a wide array of institutions, from flagship Alabama schools to major universities across the Southeast and the nation. Greek life and organized group culture are present at nearly all of them.

Major Alabama Universities with Active Greek Life

• The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa): One of the largest Greek systems in the U.S., with a significant percentage of students involved in fraternities and sororities.
• Auburn University: A major SEC school with a robust Greek community and active athletic teams.
• University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB): While more commuter-focused, it has recognized fraternities and sororities.
• Samford University (Birmingham): A private university with traditional Greek life organizations.
• University of North Alabama (Florence): Hosts multiple fraternities and sororities.
• Jacksonville State University: Has an active Greek life community.
• University of South Alabama (Mobile): Features numerous Greek organizations.

The Southeastern Greek Life Landscape

Beyond Alabama, Walker County students often attend schools in neighboring states known for strong Greek systems:

• University of Georgia, University of Tennessee, University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), University of Florida, Louisiana State University (LSU), University of Kentucky. These SEC schools have Greek cultures with deep traditions and, unfortunately, documented hazing histories.

Commonalities Across Campuses

Regardless of the school, dangerous patterns persist:

1. “Rush” and Pledge Periods: The first 6-8 weeks of membership are the highest risk for new members.
2. Off-Campus and “Unofficial” Events: Hazing often moves to private houses, Airbnb rentals, or remote retreats to avoid university oversight.
3. Social Media and Secrecy: Coerced secrecy is enforced through group chats; evidence is often digital and ephemeral.
4. Institutional Knowledge: Many of these schools have suspended chapters for hazing, proving they are aware of the problem.

For a Walker County family, this means: The specific university name matters for jurisdiction and policy, but the playbook of the national fraternity or sorority is often the same whether the chapter is in Tuscaloosa, Auburn, or Athens, GA. The same national organizations named in tragedies at LSU (Phi Delta Theta), Bowling Green (Pi Kappa Alpha), and Florida State (Pi Kappa Phi) also have chapters at Alabama schools. Their national headquarters have been on notice for years.

Why Attorney911? Texas-Based Hazing Specialists Serving Families Nationwide

When your family in Walker County faces a hazing crisis, you need more than a local attorney who handles general personal injury. You need a firm with proven experience taking on national fraternities, university legal teams, and their insurance companies. You need a firm that understands the complex interplay of digital evidence, institutional cover-ups, and hazing’s unique psychological dynamics.

Our Flagship Proof: The Leonel Bermudez vs. UH & Pi Kappa Phi Case

We are not theorists. We are active litigators. Right now, Attorneys Ralph Manginello and Lupe Peña are leading the $10 million lawsuit on behalf of Leonel Bermudez. We detailed the brutal hazing—from the humiliating “pledge fanny pack” to the simulated waterboarding and the life-threatening rhabdomyolysis—in a complaint that forced the immediate suspension and ultimate closure of the Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu chapter. This case, covered by Click2Houston, ABC13, and Hoodline, is our live demonstration of how we fight. We secure evidence, identify every liable entity, and persist against powerful defendants.

Our Competitive Advantages for Your Case

1. Insurance Insider Knowledge (Mr. Lupe Peña’s Defense Background)
Mr. Peña (he/him) spent years as an attorney at a national insurance defense firm. He knows firsthand how insurers for fraternities and universities value claims, deploy delay tactics, and fight coverage. This insider perspective is invaluable when negotiating or litigating against them. He knows their playbook because he used to help write it.

2. Complex Institutional Litigation Experience (Mr. Ralph Manginello)
Mr. Manginello’s resume includes being one of the few Texas firms involved in the BP Texas City refinery explosion litigation. Taking on a billion-dollar corporate defendant teaches you how to manage massive document discovery, fight expert vs. expert, and withstand unlimited legal budgets. National fraternities and major universities use the same tactics—and we are not intimidated.

3. Dual Civil & Criminal Capability
Mr. Manginello is a member of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association (HCCLA), an elite credential. Hazing often involves parallel criminal investigations. We can advise your family on both tracks, protect your child if they are a witness, and understand how criminal outcomes impact civil strategy.

4. A Data-Driven Investigation Engine
For Texas cases, we maintain a proprietary “Texas Hazing Intelligence Engine”—a database of over 1,400 Greek organizations, their IRS filings, housing corporations, and national links. This model of deep, systematic investigation informs our approach everywhere. We don’t start from scratch; we know how to trace liability from the local chapter to the national headquarters and their insurers.

5. A Nationally Relevant Network of Experts
We have worked with the experts needed to win these cases:

• Medical Experts to explain injuries like rhabdomyolysis, TBI, or PTSD.
• Digital Forensics Specialists to recover deleted messages and social media evidence.
• Economists and Life Care Planners to calculate lifetime costs for catastrophic injuries.
• Greek Life Culture Experts to explain power dynamics and institutional failures.

How We Serve Walker County and Nationwide Families

While our physical offices are in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont, Texas, we serve hazing victims and families across the country through:

• Direct Representation: For cases with a Texas connection (e.g., a national fraternity headquartered in Texas, a child attending a Texas school).
• Co-Counsel Arrangements: We partner with skilled local attorneys in your state (like Alabama) to combine our hazing-specific expertise with their knowledge of local court procedures.
• Consultation & Case Strategy: We provide comprehensive case evaluation and strategic guidance to families and their local counsel anywhere in the U.S.

The legal principles, institutional tactics, and national organizations are the same everywhere. Our Texas-based expertise in unmasking them is directly transferable to help your family in Walker County.

Building a Powerful Case: Evidence, Strategy, and Realistic Damages

Winning a hazing case requires converting trauma into a compelling legal narrative backed by irrefutable evidence.

The Evidence That Wins Cases

We act swiftly to secure what others hope will disappear:

• Digital Communications: GroupMe, WhatsApp, Discord, iMessage, Instagram DMs, Snapchat memories. We screenshot, archive, and use forensics to recover deleted threads that show planning, coercion, and boasting.
• Photos & Videos: Content posted on social media or shared privately. We also seek security footage from houses, doorbell cameras, and venues.
• Internal Documents: Pledge “manuals,” chapter meeting notes, emails from national headquarters, risk management reports.
• University Records: Prior conduct violations for the same chapter, Clery Act reports, internal investigation files (obtained through discovery or public records requests).
• Medical & Psychological Records: ER reports, hospitalization records, toxicology screens, and diagnoses of PTSD, depression, or anxiety from a treating psychologist.
• Witness Testimony: Other pledges, former members, roommates, RAs, and bystanders.

Overcoming Common Defense Tactics

We anticipate and dismantle the standard defenses:

• “They Consented”: We cite state law (consent is not a defense) and use evidence of peer pressure, power imbalance, and implicit threats to show coercion.
• “It Was Off-Campus”: We argue foreseeability—organizations know hazing moves off-campus to avoid detection. They still exercise control and benefit from membership.
• “Rogue Individuals, Not the National”: We subpoena national records to show prior incidents, inadequate training, and a pattern of known risks, proving negligent supervision.
• “We Have an Anti-Hazing Policy”: We demonstrate the gap between paper policy and lax enforcement, highlighting a culture that tolerates abuse.

Understanding Potential Damages

Civil lawsuits seek to make the victim “whole” through financial compensation. Recoverable damages can include:

• Economic Damages:

  • All past and future medical expenses (ER, surgery, therapy, medications).
  • Lost wages (for a parent who missed work) and lost future earning capacity if injuries are permanent.
  • Costs of transferring schools or lost tuition.

• Non-Economic Damages:

  • Physical pain and suffering.
  • Emotional distress, trauma, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
  • For diagnosed conditions like PTSD, depression, or anxiety.

• Wrongful Death Damages (in the worst cases):

  • Funeral and burial costs.
  • Loss of financial support, companionship, and guidance for the family.

While we cannot guarantee specific outcomes, historical cases provide reference points: settlements and verdicts in serious injury or death hazing cases often range from $1 million to over $14 million, depending on the facts and defendants involved.

A Practical Guide for Walker County Parents & Students

For Parents: Recognizing the Signs and Taking Action

Warning Signs Your Child May Be Being Hazed:

• Unexplained injuries (bruises, burns, limping).
• Extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, or drastic weight changes.
• Sudden secrecy about group activities; defensive when asked.
• Personality shifts: increased anxiety, depression, or anger.
• Constant phone use/panic over group chat notifications.
• Requests for unusual amounts of money with vague explanations.
• A drop in academic performance.

If You Suspect Hazing:

1. Talk Calmly and Supportively. Ask open-ended questions: “I’m worried about you. Is anything happening that makes you feel unsafe or pressured?”
2. Prioritize Safety and Health. If there’s any immediate danger or injury, seek medical care.
3. Preserve Evidence Together. Help them screenshot messages and photograph injuries.
4. Consult an Attorney BEFORE Reporting. We can advise on the strategic order of reporting to campus police, local police, or the Dean of Students to protect your child’s rights and the integrity of the evidence.
5. Document Everything. Keep a dated log of conversations, symptoms, and communications from the school.

For Students: Your Safety and Rights

• Trust Your Gut. If it feels abusive, degrading, or dangerous, it likely is hazing.
• Know That “Consent” is a Trap. Under pressure, your agreement is not legally valid to excuse their actions.
• Create an Exit Plan. Have a code word with a trusted friend or parent to extract you from a bad situation. Know that you can quit anytime.
• Preserve Evidence Secretly. If safe, take screenshots, record conversations (Alabama is a one-party consent state), and note details.
• Seek Medical Attention. Tell the doctor exactly what happened. “I was forced to drink by my fraternity” becomes a critical medical record.
• You Have Reporting Options: Campus conduct office, local police, and the National Anti-Hazing Hotline at 1-888-NOT-HAZE.

Critical Mistakes That Can Harm Your Case

• Deleting Evidence. Preserve all messages, even embarrassing ones.
• Confronting the Organization Directly. This triggers evidence destruction and witness coaching.
• Signing University “Resolution” Agreements without an attorney. These often include waivers of your right to sue.
• Posting on Social Media. Defense investigators monitor everything; inconsistencies can be used against you.
• Waiting Too Long. Evidence vanishes, witnesses become uncooperative, and statutes of limitations apply.

Your Next Step: A Free, Confidential Consultation with Attorney911

If hazing has impacted your family in Walker County, you do not have to navigate this crisis alone. The universities and national organizations have teams of lawyers. You deserve advocates who are equally prepared and wholly on your side.

We invite you to contact The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney911) for a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation.

In your consultation, we will:

• Listen with compassion to understand exactly what happened.
• Review any evidence you have gathered.
• Explain the legal landscape and your family’s options in clear terms.
• Discuss our experience with similar cases and our strategic approach.
• Answer your questions about process, timelines, and costs.

We work on a contingency fee basis for personal injury cases. This means you pay no upfront fees. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery we secure for you, and only if we win your case.

Se habla Español. Mr. Lupe Peña is fluent in Spanish and can consult with your family directly.

Time is of the essence. Take the first step toward accountability and securing your child’s future.

Contact Attorney911 – The Legal Emergency Lawyers™

Call us 24/7: 1-888$$-$ATTY911$ (1-888-288-9911)
Direct: (713) 528-9070 | Cell: (713) 443-4781
Website: https://attorney911.com
Email: ralph@atty911.com or lupe@atty911.com

Serving families in Walker County, across Alabama, and nationwide from our Texas offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont.

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 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)

Plain Text Links to Key Resources

News Coverage of Our Active UH Pi Kappa Phi Case:

• Click2Houston (KPRC 2) 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 Coverage: https://abc13.com/post/waterboarding-forced-eating-physical-punishment-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-faced-injured-pledge-uhs-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity/18186418/
• Hoodline Summary: https://hoodline.com/2025/11/university-of-houston-and-pi-kappa-phi-fraternity-face-10m-lawsuit-over-alleged-hazing-and-abuse/

Attorney911 Educational Videos:

• Using Your Phone to Document Evidence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpzrmogTs
• Understanding 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 Firm Website:

• Attorney911 – Free Consultation: https://attorney911.com