The Complete Guide to Hazing Lawsuits for Wright City Families: Protecting Your Texas College Student
If Hazing Happened to Your Child, You Are Not Alone
Imagine a quiet evening in your Wright City home being shattered by a phone call. Your child, the student you sent to a respected Texas university just months ago, is in a hospital bed hours away. Their story is fragmented through pain and fear—mentions of forced workouts in a city park, humiliating rituals, and a frantic drive to the ER after their urine turned a frightening brown. The words “hazing,” “rhabdomyolysis,” and “kidney failure” crash into your world, spoken by doctors who look at you with pity. You feel isolated, angry, and powerless against a fraternity, a university, and a system that seems designed to protect itself.
If this nightmare scenario feels familiar, or if you fear it could become reality, this guide is for you. We are The Manginello Law Firm, PLLC (operating statewide as Attorney911), and we serve families across Texas, including right here in Rusk County and Wright City. We are currently leading one of the most serious hazing lawsuits in Texas history, and we created this comprehensive resource to help parents understand their rights, the legal landscape, and the path to accountability.
This article provides Wright City families with everything you need to know about Texas hazing laws, what’s happening at our state’s universities, and your legal options when institutions fail to protect your child. The information here is grounded in the case we’re fighting right now in Houston, in the data we maintain on every Greek organization in Texas, and in our quarter-century of experience taking on powerful defendants.
If you are in crisis right now, here is your immediate action plan:
Medical Emergency: Call 911 First.
Legal Emergency: Then Call 1-888-ATTY-911 (12-888-288-9911).
In the first 48 hours: Preserve all text messages and group chats (screenshot everything), photograph any injuries, write down what happened while memories are fresh, and seek experienced legal counsel before speaking to university officials or insurance adjusters.
Our Flagship Texas Case: Leonel Bermudez vs. University of Houston & Pi Kappa Phi
To understand what’s possible in Texas hazing litigation and what Wright City families might face, you need to know about the case we’re fighting right now. In late 2025, we filed a $10 million hazing and abuse lawsuit in Harris County on behalf of Leonel Bermudez, a University of Houston student who nearly lost his life to fraternity hazing.
What Actually Happened at UH’s Pi Kappa Phi Chapter
Leonel Bermudez accepted a bid to join the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s Beta Nu chapter at UH in September 2025. What followed was not brotherhood but systematic abuse that almost killed him. The hazing occurred at multiple locations: the Pi Kappa Phi chapter house near UH, an off-campus residence on Culmore Drive, and at Yellowstone Boulevard Park in Houston.
The rituals included a degrading “pledge fanny pack” rule requiring pledges to carry condoms, sex toys, nicotine devices, and humiliating items 24/7. There were enforced dress codes, hours-long forced “study” blocks, overnight chauffeuring duties, and weekly interviews where failure meant punishment. The physical hazing included:
- Sprints, bear crawls, wheelbarrow races, and “save-your-brother” drills
- Being sprayed in the face with a hose “similar to waterboarding” with threats of actual waterboarding
- Forced consumption of milk, hot dogs, and peppercorns until vomiting, followed immediately by more sprints
- Cold-weather exposure in only underwear
- Lying in vomit-soaked grass
- A November 3 workout of 100+ push-ups and 500 squats under threats of expulsion
Another pledge was allegedly hog-tied face-down on a table with an object in his mouth for over an hour. Leonel’s body began to break down. He developed rhabdomyolysis—severe skeletal muscle breakdown—which led to acute kidney failure. He passed brown urine, couldn’t stand without help, and was hospitalized for four days with critically high creatine kinase levels confirming the life-threatening damage. He now faces ongoing risk of permanent kidney damage.
How the Institutions Responded
Our lawsuit names a comprehensive defendant universe because accountability must be comprehensive:
- University of Houston and the UH System Board of Regents
- Pi Kappa Phi national headquarters
- The Pi Kappa Phi Beta Nu housing corporation
- 13 individual fraternity leaders and members (chapter president, pledgemaster, sorority relations chair, risk manager, and others)
The institutional response tells a familiar story: On November 6, 2025, Pi Kappa Phi HQ suspended the Beta Nu chapter after receiving hazing reports. On November 14, chapter members voted to surrender their charter, effectively shutting down the chapter. UH called the alleged conduct “deeply disturbing” and promised disciplinary measures up to expulsion and cooperation with law enforcement, crediting Pi Kappa Phi HQ for decisive action.
But for families in Wright City, the critical question is: Would this lawsuit exist if the fraternity hadn’t nearly killed someone? Would the university have acted without media scrutiny? This case, covered by Click2Houston, ABC13, and Hoodline, represents exactly why families need experienced counsel who understand how to navigate these institutional responses.
Modern Hazing: What Wright City Families Need to Recognize
Hazing in 2025 doesn’t always look like movie stereotypes. For Wright City parents whose children may be at Stephen F. Austin State University (just 35 miles away in Nacogdoches), Texas A&M, UT Austin, or any Texas campus, understanding these modern forms is critical.
The Three Tiers of Hazing
Tier 1: Subtle Hazing – Often dismissed as “tradition” but establishes dangerous power dynamics:
- Mandatory servitude (cleaning, errands, being “on call” 24/7)
- “Pledge fanny packs” with humiliating contents
- Social isolation from non-members
- Required attendance at events interfering with academics
- Digital control through constant group chat monitoring
Tier 2: Harassment Hazing – Causes clear discomfort and harm:
- Sleep deprivation with late-night “meetings” or early-morning workouts
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