Stanford College has reached a settlement with the household of soccer star Katie Meyer, who died by suicide in 2022, after they accused the varsity of contributing in direction of her tragic dying.
Meyer, a captain and goalkeeper for the Cardinals, took her personal life in March 2022 – hours after discovering that she could possibly be expelled for spilling sizzling espresso on a Stanford soccer participant.
Her mother and father sued Stanford in a wrongful dying lawsuit, accusing the California college of ‘systematic failures’ and coping with her disciplinary case ‘negligently and recklessly’.
The bitter authorized dispute got here to an finish on Monday when the college reached a settlement with the household of the late soccer star.
Monetary particulars of the settlement haven’t been disclosed, nonetheless, it has been revealed that, as a part of the settlement, Stanford will retire Meyer’s quantity 19 jersey in her reminiscence.
The college has reportedly additionally agreed to undertake the rules of ‘Katie Meyer’s Legislation,’ which has been championed by her mother and father within the wake of the dying.
Katie Meyer, a captain and goalkeeper for the Stanford Cardinal, took her personal life in 2022
Meyer’s mother and father Steven (L) and Gina (R) sued Stanford in a wrongful dying lawsuit
Below the ‘Katie Meyer’s Legislation,’ college students going through disciplinary motion can have entry to psychological well being help and advisers.
Stanford will additional honor Meyer by launching a brand new psychological well being initiative for scholar athletes on the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and set up the ‘Katie Meyer Management Award.’
‘Whereas Katie’s passing stays devastating and tragic, the reminiscence of her accomplishments and the uplifting affect she had on those that knew her lives on,’ the Meyer household mentioned in a statement, asserting the phrases of the settlement.
‘Stanford and the Meyer household imagine that working collectively on these initiatives will each honor Katie’s indelible legacy and assist present and future college students in significant methods.’
The settlement places an finish to the high-stakes wrongful dying lawsuit filed by Steven and Gina Meyer that accused the elite establishment of driving their daughter to suicide with its ‘reckless’ and ‘threatening’ late-night disciplinary e-mail.
In the direction of the tip of her fifth and ultimate 12 months, Meyer was charged by the college over spilling espresso onto one of many college’s soccer gamers. Meyer mentioned it was an accident. The soccer participant – who had been accused of constructing ‘an undesirable sexual advance’ on considered one of Meyer’s teammates – mentioned in any other case.
However, in line with an ESPN documentary ‘Save: The Katie Meyer Story’ final 12 months, the soccer star didn’t make a proper criticism and insisted he ‘didn’t need any punishment that impacts (Meyer’s) life’.
However the college however investigated Meyer over six months and on the night of February 28, 2022, the 22-year-old was advised her diploma was being placed on maintain and he or she could possibly be kicked out of faculty.
The household accused Stanford of ‘systematic failures’ and coping with her case ‘negligently and recklessly’
Meyer was the goalkeeper on the nationwide champion Stanford Cardinal in 2019
That night time, Meyer started ‘frantically looking’ on-line about easy methods to defend herself at trial.
The next morning Meyer – who led the Cardinals to a 2019 nationwide title – was discovered lifeless in her dorm room.
Based on the household criticism, Meyer had been assembly with sports activities psychologists and was ‘experiencing elevated melancholy signs related to perceived failure and endorsed suicidal ideations’.
She additionally advised the varsity that she had been ‘stressed for months’ revealing: ‘(I’m) terrified that an accident will destroy my future.’
In considered one of their defenses within the lawsuit, Stanford identified that – shortly earlier than her dying – ‘Katie selected to make her ultimate oral presentation about her years earlier than Stanford and rising up with controlling mother and father and strain to succeed.’
Stanford additionally argued that ‘any affordable individual would take into account Katie’s suicide a extremely uncommon, extraordinary response to the scenario’, including: ‘The Stanford defendants didn’t know and had no cause to count on that Katie would act on this method.’
However the Meyer’s lawyer insisted: ‘There isn’t any denying they knew that their course of might trigger misery (and) hurt.’
She claimed that Stanford had lengthy been ‘on discover’ after earlier, ‘critical concern’ in regards to the college’s disciplinary and judicial processes.
In case you are struggling, reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
