Family of Katie Meyer files wrongful death suit vs Stanford

Warning: This article discusses suicide and mental health problems and could be distressing for some people

The parents of a star athlete at a prominent US university have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school, saying the 21-year-old football goalkeeper was distressed about facing discipline over an incident from August 2021.

Katie Meyer’s parents filed the suit against Stanford University last week in Santa Clara County Superior Court after Meyer took her own life in late February. USA Today obtained the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says Meyer spilled coffee on a Stanford football player who allegedly had sexually assaulted a soccer teammate. It also said that Meyer received a formal written notice on the evening of February 28 — the same night she died — that charged her with a “Violation of the Fundamental Standard”.

The violation put her diploma on hold a few months before she was supposed to graduate, USA Today reported.

Katie Meyer celebrates with her teammates after Stanford defeated North Carolina in Division I Women's Soccer Championship final in 2019. Photo / Getty Images

Her parents argue in the lawsuit that the notice came “after-hours” while Meyer was unable to access support from campus counsellors.

“Katie’s [death] was completed without planning and solely in response to the shocking and deeply distressing information she received from Stanford while alone in her room without any support or resources,” the complaint read

The lawsuit says that Meyer responded to the email “expressing how ‘shocked and distraught’ she was over being charged and threatened with removal from the university” and received a follow-up email that scheduled a meeting three days later.

Her parents said in the lawsuit that Meyer had “an acute stress reaction that impulsively led her” to take her life. The lawsuit also says that Meyer had told Stanford employees in November 2021 that she had “been scared for months that my clumsiness will ruin my chances of leaving Stanford on a good note”.

Stanford’s assistant vice-president of external communications, Dee Mostofi, told USA Today on Wednesday that the school “strongly disagreed” with the lawsuit’s claim that Stanford was responsible in Meyer’s death and hadn’t seen the complaint.

Meyer was a part of the 2019 national champion women’s soccer team. She stopped two penalty shots in Stanford’s 5-4 shootout victory over North Carolina after a scoreless draw.

Additional reporting, NZ Herald