By Ellen J. Staurowsky, Contributing Writer and Professor of Sports Media, Roy H. Park School of Communications, Ithaca College, staurows@ithaca.edu
On November 23, 2022, the parents of former soccer star, Katie Meyer, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stanford University officers and administrators. This case hinges on the question of whether the manner in which the Stanford Office of Community Standards (OCS) made Katie aware that disciplinary charges were being pursued against her resulted in an acute stress reaction leading to Katie taking her own life (Meyer and Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022).
Background
By all accounts, Katie Meyer was an accomplished athlete, student, and campus leader who brought credit to the Stanford University community. As a senior majoring in international relations with a minor in history, she had earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.84. In January of 2022, she was one of 12 Stanford students to be named to the prestigious Mayfield Fellows Program, a program designed to foster leaders in the area of principled high-growth technology ventures. With a passion for national security issues, Katie was also selected as a Defense Innovation Scholar, a program run through Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security innovation (Meyer and Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022).
Away from the classroom Katie served as a resident advisor, a role she took on, according to the complaint, without compensation. A talented soccer player, Katie distinguished herself in Stanford’s successful bid for an NCAA Division I women’s soccer national championship in 2019. Her fierce performance in the goal during the final game against the University of North Carolina garnered her recognition as the championship game’s most valuable player (MVP). Her stature as a college athlete and leader caught the attention of Just Women’s Sports, a media venture focused on amplifying the impact of women athletes. In March of 2022, Katie was scheduled to participate in a promotional event for Just Women’s Sports in New York City that coincided with the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament, otherwise known as the NCAA Women’s March Madness Tournament (Meyer and Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022).
Katie had a full slate of projects that she was planning to participate in throughout the spring of 2022. She was in the midst of launching a podcast called “Be The Mentality” in collaboration with a subsidiary of Facebook. She was scheduled to present a TEDx Talk entitled “All You Have Is All You Need (But It’s All You Have) in April of 2022. She was to play a role in the planning of Stanford’s Democracy Day while also working to create a class for first year athletes that focused on finding ways to integrate civics and citizen engagement through sport (Meyer and Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022).
The Events Leading Up to Stanford University’s OCS Formally Charging Katie Meyer
On August 21, 2021, a first-year women’s soccer player (a minor) reported to Stanford authorities that she had been allegedly sexually assaulted by a member of the football team the previous day. A week later, on August 28, 2021, Katie reportedly spilled coffee on the accused football player while riding her bike. According to the complaint, the accusation against the football player was never investigated in a meaningful way by Stanford officials despite the highly publicized leadership demonstrated by head football coach, David Shaw on the issue of sexual assault (Meyer and Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022). Shaw served as a member of the NCAA Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence when it was created in 2016 and advocated for the Set The Expectation program, “…aimed at working to end the culture of sexual assault and domestic violence among college and high school athletes” (Stanford Athletics Communications, 2022, para.69). Stanford players were among the first in the country to sign a pledge with a commitment to use their platforms to speak out against sexual assault and violence against women. The pledge itself includes a statement of understanding that athletes sign off on that “harmful behavior such as rape, sexual assault, physical violence, domestic/dating violence, stalking, bullying, hazing, and taking or sharing photos and videos of a sexually explicit/violent nature is NEVER okay and will not be tolerated” (Set the Expectation Pledge, 2022).
The complaint argues that contrary to public statements of not tolerating sexual assault, the accused football player’s conduct was spared scrutiny while Katie’s conduct became the subject of extensive review by Stanford’s Office of Community Standards. Following up on a request from Associate Dean of Residential Life Lisa Caldera to discuss what had happened, Katie explained that the coffee spill was an accident. While the football player did not view the incident as something that warranted filing a complaint, Associate Dean Caldera did so on September 16, 2021, copying numerous other administrators in the process. A day after the complaint against Katie was filed, she received notices from several individuals, one outlining an expectation that she would cooperate fully and in a timely fashion or risk penalties such as a hold on her account (something that would affect a student’s ability to register for courses in the next semester and prevent them from doing other business pertinent to their enrollment). She was also warned that should she fail to respond the investigation would proceed without her (Meyer and Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022).
On September 23, 2021, Katie met with Associate Dean Tiffany Gabrielson from the OCS office to discuss the complaint. According to the complaint, Dean Gabrielson noted in correspondence that she was aware that Katie was concerned about her future as a result of the complaint and that Katie was also surprised that the incident, which she attributed to her own clumsiness, had become the subject of an investigation. In her formal response to the complaint, dated November 21, 2021, she expressed skepticism regarding the purported harms experienced by the football player attributed to the coffee spill, most particularly his alleged sleepless nights and loss of weight. She questioned whether those were the result of the coffee spill or the result of his alleged sexual misconduct (Meyer and Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022).
She noted in her formal statement to the complaint and demonstrated in her conduct following it that the investigation was taking a toll on her well-being. In her statement, she expressed a fear for her future, noting that she was required to report the OCS complaint when she submitted her law school application. She wrote, “I have been scared for months that my clumsiness will ruin my chances of leaving Stanford on a good note” (Meyer v Stanford, 2022, p. 27). She also offered insight into the pressure she felt as a woman athlete operating in a system that exhibits far greater tolerance for the misconduct of men athletes and a propensity for punishing women athletes for even the slightest mistake. She wrote,
While he may think male athletes are untouchable, female athletes know that one mistake can ruin everything. My whole life I’ve been terrified to make any mistakes. No alcohol, no speeding tickets, no A- marks on my report cards. Everything had to be perfect to get in and stay at Stanford. I suffer from anxiety and perfectionism, as so many female athletes do. We know all too well that in professional settings women have everything to lose…and any mistake is magnified, any attitude of assertiveness is demonized. I never take anything for granted… (Meyer & Meyer v. Stanford et al., 2022, p. 27).
The Toll of the Investigation on Katie’s Mental Health
While the complaint alleges that administrators involved in the OCS investigation did not acknowledge the emotional toll that the proceedings had on Katie, she sought assistance for increased feelings of depression and anxiety from a sports psychiatrist and sport psychologist who provided support for Stanford athletes. The complaint notes that in May of 2021 Katie was prescribed the drug, Concerta, an ADHD medication, to help her concentration. According to the complaint, once on this medication, withdraw has the potential to increase suicidal ideations. It is alleged that the sport psychiatrist who prescribed the medication to Katie did not follow appropriate protocol in obtaining her full history and failed to monitor her for signs of potential problems, especially given that she had difficulty refilling her prescription due to insurance issues. The sport psychologist Katie had been seeing noted that while on winter break, Katie’s disposition improved. Leaving behind the pressure of the semester, enjoying a holiday with family and a trip to London seemed to contribute to an improvement in her mental state.
In the absence of further communication with the OCS office between November 21, 2021 and February 25, 2022, Katie had also gotten the impression that the matter was over. A message from OCS on February 25, 2022 alerting her to the fact that she was going to be formally charged may or may not have been opened by Katie. According to that message, she was given three days to provide any further information that might have exonerated her. There is an appearance, given her behavior, that she did not know that the formal charging document was coming.
The timeline on February 28, 2022 included the following:
- An afternoon of classes, soccer practice, a Mayfield Fellow event, text messages with family about upcoming spring break, a birthday party, and other things
- Around 5:15pm she FaceTimed with her mother and sisters
- Around 6:45pm she sent an email to her mother with flight information for a planned trip
- After 7:00pm she received an email from OCS with a five-page “Violation of the Fundamental Standard” letter. The letter informed her that her degree would be put on hold until the matter was resolved and that, depending on the outcome, she could be removed from the university.
- On March 1, 2022, Katie was found deceased in her dorm room, the letter still open on her computer.
The complaint refers to forensic evidence and paints a picture of a young woman who was furiously trying to find a way to defend herself from a charge that she had not envisioned would come.
The complaint argues that “Stanford and its’ employees deviations from reasonable care and affirmative acts to bully and cause Katie distress, caused, or substantially contributed to cause, Katie to suffer an acute stress reaction and uncontrollable impulse to commit suicide resulting in her tragic death” (Meyer v. Meyer v. Stanford University et al., 2022, p. 33).
Stanford’s Statement in Response to the Lawsuit
Within hours of the lawsuit being filed, Stanford responded by strongly disagreeing that the university was responsible for Katie’s death. While disputing some of the facts presented, the university emphasized that the charge against Katie had passed a high threshold to warrant a hearing and that the investigation consisted of extensive factfinding where both parties had the opportunity to share information. The university further challenged the argument that there was a lack of support for Katie during the process, pointing out that she was offered the opportunity to have an advisor work with her and the opportunity to have someone accompany her to any meeting with OCS staff.
The university further contests the notion that Katie was not provided guidance or support the night that she received the letter. A request from Katie to meet about the matter received a response. According to the university, she could have chosen a meeting time sooner but signed up for a date that was three days after she received the letter.
Finally, the university addressed as a factual matter a claim that it had failed to hold a football player accountable for kissing a women’s soccer player without permission, noting that it was the university itself that contacted the Title IX office and the police about the allegation. In the end, the university reported that following a review by the Title IX office a decision was made to not pursue the matter further because there was not enough information to move forward (Stanford University Staff, 2022).
Open Questions Moving Forward
While Stanford has signaled that they will offer a vigorous defense against Meyer’s allegations in this lawsuit, the institution is already facing questions on how the actions of a student who accidentally spilled coffee on another student rose to a level warranting a disciplinary review, especially a review that could have resulted in the withholding of a degree and potential removal from the university.
There is also the question of who the university heard from when it asserted in its statement regarding the case that there was opportunity for both sides to offer information. It is unclear who the opposing party in the complaint was, given that the alleged injured party, the football player, had declined to file a complaint and expressed a view that Katie should not be punished. There is the additional question as to why, if the information in the complaint is accurate, an attempt to address the issue through an informal conflict resolution process was not made. Further, in light of the statement made by Stanford that the football player’s conduct did not meet the criteria necessary to warrant further investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, the question of whether Katie was subjected to gender discrimination throughout the course of her treatment by Stanford’s Office of Community Standards is also worth raising.
Two days after the lawsuit was filed long-time head football coach David Shaw resigned. The timing may only be coincidence, but some will wonder at the abrupt ending of the coach’s career and its connection to this lawsuit. When Stanford offers its full response, a more complete picture of what occurred may emerge. At present, however, the university faces considerable headwinds in terms of public perception. It will further fall to Stanford to demonstrate that their actions were not reckless and unreasonable, fell within the bounds of their established procedures, and were responsive to the expressed fears and mental health disclosures of one of its most high profile and accomplished women athletes and students.
Further Readings
Brubaker-Cole, S. (2022, March 1). Sad news about the death of an undergraduate. Stanford Report. Retrieved from https://news.stanford.edu/report/2022/03/01/sad-news-death-undergraduate/
Brubaker-Cole, S. & Muir, B. (2022, March 2). Update on the loss of an undergraduate student. Stanford Report. Retrieved from https://news.stanford.edu/report/2022/03/02/update-loss-undergraduate-student/
Ehline, M. (2022, December 1). Family of Katie Meyer sues over her death – was Stanford negligent? Ehlinelaw.com. Retrieved from https://ehlinelaw.com/blog/family-of-katie-meyer-sues-over-her-death-was-stanford-negligent
ESPN Staff. (2022, December 1). Katie Meyers’ family files wrongful death suit against Stanford. ESPN.com. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/35098221/katie-meyer-family-files-wrongful-death-suit-stanford
Goodman, S. (2022, November 26). A ‘reckless’ disciplinary process contributed to Stanford goalie’s suicide, lawsuit says. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-reckless-disciplinary-process-contributed-to-stanford-goalies-suicide-lawsuit-says
Steven Meyer and Gina Meyer, individually and as successors in interest to Kathryn Diane Meyer (a.k.a. Katie Meyer v. The Leland Stanford Junior University et al. (November 23, 2022). Superior Court of California County of Santa Clara. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6b390e0674315a2fc101e6/t/6387c237c0953964adfccb03/1669841467452/Complaint-+Meyer+v.+Leland+Stanford%2C+et+al..pdf
Set the Expectation Men’s Team Pledge. (2022). Settheexpectation.org. Retrieved from https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/609efce783c3b81ee30ff3fb/60ecc9a4d98c815a743b7bb1_SetTheExpectation%20Pledge_Men%27s%20Team.pdf
Shammas, B. (2022, December 1). Parents allege ‘overly punitive’ Stanford discipline led to soccer star’s suicide. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/12/01/education-stanford-death-lawsuit/
Stanford University Athletic Communications Staff. (2022). David Shaw Bradford M. Freeman director of football. GoStanford.com. Retrieved from https://gostanford.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/david-shaw/4236#:~:text=A%201995%20Stanford%20graduate%20who,and%20three%20Rose%20Bowl%20Games.
Stanford University Staff. (2022, December 1). Information on lawsuit by family of Katie Meyer. Stanford News. Retrieved from https://news.stanford.edu/2022/11/25/information-lawsuit-family-katie-meyer/
Tapper, J. (2022, November 29). Soccer star Katie Meyer’s family files a wrongful death lawsuit against Stanford University. CNN.com. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2022/11/29/tl-4p-dougherty-jake-tapper-live.cnn
