Stanford, Katie Meyer's family reach ‘resolution' on wrongful death lawsuit against school

Stanford and the family of former Cardinal soccer star Katie Meyer, who died by suicide in 2022, have settled a lawsuit filed in the wake of her death, the university announced Monday.

In a joint statement released by Stanford, the school and family said they were "pleased to have reached a resolution." Meyer's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stanford in November 2022, in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

The suit alleged the actions of several school officials, regarding a disciplinary action involving Meyer, caused her "to suffer an acute stress reaction that impulsively led to her suicide."

Meyer's family and Stanford will collaborate "to launch an initiative focused on the mental health and well-being of student-athletes" at the school's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, according to Monday's announcement. Stanford's athletic department also will present the annual Katie Meyer Leadership Award to an "exceptional Stanford student-athlete."

Per the joint statement, the school also will "adopt the principles of Katie Meyer's Law to provide support to students in its OCS disciplinary process." That refers to Stanford's Office of Community Standards. Meyer's uniform number, 19, will be retired "in honor of the impact Katie had on Stanford women's soccer."

Meyer was the starting goalkeeper on the 2019 Cardinal team that won the NCAA championship. She was found dead in her on-campus dormitory room in March 2022, near the end of her junior year.

In the lawsuit, Meyer's parents maintained she was coping with possible disciplinary action from Stanford. This was related to an August 2021 incident, the suit stated, in which she allegedly spilled coffee on a Cardinal football player who had allegedly sexually assaulted a women's soccer player.

More than six months later, on the evening of her death, Meyer received a formal charge by email from OCS. The email included "threatening language regarding sanctions and potential ‘removal from the university,'" according to the lawsuit. 

Monday's joint statement concluded by saying, "While Katie's passing remains devastating and tragic, the memory of her accomplishments and the uplifting influence she had on those who knew her lives on. Stanford and the Meyer family believe that working together on these initiatives will both honor Katie's indelible legacy and help current and future students in meaningful ways."

This article originally published at Stanford, Katie Meyer's family reach ‘resolution' on wrongful death lawsuit against school.