Houston attorney Tony Buzbee files lawsuit against 2 UT clubs after A&M student’s fatal fall from high-rise in Austin
HOUSTON – Houston attorney Tony Buzbee held a press conference Tuesday to present new witness information and raise fresh questions about the death of Brianna Aguilera, a Texas A&M student who fell from a high-rise apartment in Austin in November following the A&M–Texas rivalry football game.
Buzbee also spoke on a new lawsuit filed yesterday, which names a club affiliated with UT-Austin and a local rugby club as defendants.
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Aguilera, 19, died after falling 17 stories from an apartment where she had gone after attending a tailgate earlier that evening.
Police have suggested the death may have been a suicide, a conclusion Buzbee forcefully disputed.
Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, stood beside Buzbee as he criticized what he described as a rushed and incomplete investigation by the Austin Police Department.
“We believe even more today that this was not a suicide as has been suggested by the police,” Buzbee said. “This was either an accident or something much more sinister.”
FULL ACCOUNT FROM AUSTIN PD: TIMELINE: The hours before a Texas A&M student’s fatal fall from an Austin high-rise apartment
Buzbee said an assessment of Aguilera’s recent behavior showed no indications of self-harm.
“She had declared her major. She wanted to study abroad,” Buzbee said. “A review of her apartment confirmed that this woman did not intend to harm herself in any way.”
BREAKING NEWS: Late A&M student Brianna Aguilera’s family is suing 2 UT Austin student organizations. They allege the groups overserved alcohol to the 19-year-old at a tailgate in the hours before she fell 17 stories from an Austin high-rise. https://t.co/UhZaAqfzRz
— KPRC 2 Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) January 6, 2026
A New Witness Testimony
A key focus of the press conference was testimony from a neighbor who lived directly across the hallway from the apartment where Aguilera was staying.
Dannah Rodriguez, who is not related to Aguilera’s family, said she has not been contacted by APD to be interviewed beyond a brief, generic statement requested from all residents after the incident.
Rodriguez said she was hosting her parents at her apartment on the night of the incident. She said she remembered hearing activity that she believes is relevant to the investigation.
She described the apartment walls as “paper thin,” with her front door facing the apartment Aguilera was in before her fall.
According to Rodriguez, she heard people enter the apartment around 11 p.m., followed by loud music. At around 12:30 a.m. after the music had stopped, she said she heard a girl arguing with multiple people inside the apartment, along with pacing and raised voices.
Rodriguez said her mother commented on the prolonged arguing, her dog began barking because of the noise, and she later heard screaming that sounded like a person’s reaction to a valuable item shattering on the floor.
She said voices could be heard from the balcony area, leading her to believe the argument may have moved outside.
“Who was with Brianna on that balcony? Why did she go over the balcony?” Buzbee asked. “The police don’t seem to be interested in that question.”
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Rodriguez also said the apartment’s occupant vacated the unit the day after the incident, and that she saw the occupant’s parents moving her belongings out through her peephole.
Buzbee said Austin police have not contacted Rodriguez for a full interview, calling her one of the most critical witnesses in the case.
“[Brianna’s family] wants the truth, no matter what that truth turns out to be,” Buzbee said. “What we’ve gotten so far is a terrible and shoddy investigation.”
Buzbee said his firm has retained two investigative firms, one working pro bono, to independently examine the circumstances of Aguilera’s death.
He also claimed Austin police told witnesses not to speak with Aguilera’s parents or their attorneys and said police indicated they would need subpoenas to access text messages from witnesses and Aguilera’s boyfriend.
“If they don’t do it willingly, we’re going to force them to do it,” Buzbee said, referring to the use of subpoena power.
The New Lawsuit
After outlining those concerns, Buzbee announced that his firm has filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of Aguilera’s family.
The lawsuit names Austin Blacks Rugby and the UT Latin Economics and Business Association as defendants.
The suit alleges Aguilera was illegally over-served alcohol at a tailgate event hosted by the two organizations earlier that evening. Aguilera was 19, years below the legal drinking age, at the time of her death.
“Brianna was obviously over-served, even the police acknowledge that,” Buzbee said.
RELATED: ‘Suspicious’: Houston attorney Tony Buzbee representing parents of A&M student who died from Austin apartment fall
The lawsuit alleges Aguilera’s condition deteriorated over the course of the evening and that she required assistance from friends when leaving the event around 10 p.m.
She later went to a friend’s apartment, where the fatal fall occurred hours later.
Buzbee emphasized that the lawsuit is intended to compel testimony and evidence that he says has not been voluntarily provided.
“If the police department will not do its job, we’ll do it for them,” he said.
Buzbee closed by calling on anyone who was inside the apartment that night to come forward.
“This ain’t over. This is far from over,” he said. “We’re going to get to the bottom of what happened… and no matter how painful it might be, we’re going to get that answer.”
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