Stanford University and the family of Katie Meyer, the former star soccer goalkeeper and two-time team captain who died by suicide in 2022, settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the university, the two sides announced Monday.
While the statement makes no mention of a monetary settlement, Stanford did agree to launch multiple initiatives in Meyer's memory.
As reported by Xuan Thai or ESPN, the 22-year-old Meyer was at the time of her death facing disciplinary action for allegedly spilling coffee on a Stanford football player who was accused of sexually assaulting a women's soccer player. Meyer's father said his daughter was defending that teammate, who was a minor at the time.
Per Thai's report, the lawsuit, filed in November 2022, stated that, on the night of her death, Stanford "negligently and recklessly" sent her the formal disciplinary notice that "contained threatening language regarding sanctions and potential 'removal from the university.'"
A Stanford spokesperson at the time disputed the lawsuit's assertion that the university was responsible for her death, according to ESPN, which released the documentary "Save: The Katie Meyer Story" last year.
Thai outlined initiatives Stanford has agreed to undertake. In Monday's joint statement with the Meyer family, Stanford announced:
- The university will create a Katie Meyer Leadership Award "to be given to an exceptional Stanford student-athlete each year."
- Meyer's jersey "will be retired to honor the impact Katie had on Stanford women's soccer."
- Stanford will "adopt the principles of Katie Meyer's Law to provide support to students" who are facing the school's disciplinary process. The law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024 in honor of Meyer, mandates that any California college or university that receives public funding for financial aid have a designated adviser during disciplinary proceedings.
- Stanford and the Meyer family agreed to "collaborate ... to launch an initiative focused on the mental health and well-being of student-athletes."
