How “Katie’s Save” creates a disaster line for struggling faculty college students
Stanford athlete Katie Meyer died by suicide in early 2022. Her dad and mom have began “Katie’s Save,” a program to create a disaster line for college kids.
Josh Peter and Hank Farr, USA TODAY
The “deepest, darkest ideas’’ of Katie Meyer could also be related within the wrongful loss of life lawsuit her dad and mom filed towards Stanford College, a California decide wrote in an order submitted with the Santa Clara County Superior Courtroom.
The Sept. 28 order compels Meyer’s dad and mom, Steve and Gina, to supply a “mirror drive” containing probably delicate data from Katie Meyer’s laptop computer. It additionally underscores how issues have developed for the reason that former Stanford soccer goalkeeper died by suicide greater than a yr and a half in the past.
On Thursday night time, she will probably be remembered publicly once more at Stanford’s campus in California, the place she was a captain of the ladies’s soccer workforce when she took her life.
A yr in the past, Stanford purchased airline tickets for Meyer’s dad and mom so they may fly in from their house in Southern California for the soccer workforce’s psychological well being consciousness match, when their daughter was honored. They haven’t any plans to attend this yr’s occasion.
“We weren’t contacted by Stanford concerning the recreation — nonetheless, we’re heartened to see that since Katie’s tragic passing, there look like steps taken by the college to supply psychological well being and well-being sources for his or her college students, as they’re the caretakers of our younger folks throughout their lives on campus,” Gina and Steve Meyer mentioned in an announcement offered to USA TODAY. “We’ve got, and all the time will probably be, absolutely supporting the Stanford Ladies’s Soccer Program and the wonderful younger girls of that workforce.”
Neither attorneys representing Stanford within the matter nor Dee Mostofi, Stanford’s assistant vice chairman for exterior communications, responded to USA TODAY’s requests for remark made by e mail and cellphone.
The litigation between the Meyers and Stanford has grown more and more combative, as mirrored by court docket filings. Each events, in assigning duty for Meyer’s loss of life, have accused the opposite of breaching responsibility of care.
Key proof about why Meyer took her life at 22, simply months earlier than she was set to graduate, could possibly be discovered on the mirror drive of Meyer’s laptop computer, in line with court docket data.
Why is Katie Meyer’s mirror drive vital?
Meyer’s laptop computer is related due to what her dad and mom say it proves, in line with court docket filings.
Their assertions focus on disciplinary motion Stanford took towards Meyer in 2022, in line with court docket filings. College officers decided Meyer might have acted in retaliation when she spilled espresso on a Stanford soccer participant in 2021.
The unnamed participant, who suffered burns on his again that required medical consideration, had kissed one among Meyer’s teammates with out consent per week earlier, in line with the college’s data filed with the court docket.
On Feb. 28, 2022, the night time earlier than Meyer’s physique was present in her dorm room, she obtained an e mail from Stanford informing her that she was going through a disciplinary cost stemming from the spilled espresso. In line with a court docket submitting, a five-page letter despatched by e mail defined her diploma was going to be positioned on maintain lower than 4 months from commencement and the cost may lead to her removing from the college.
“Laptop forensics exhibits that Katie frantically toggled backwards and forwards between the letter and the attachments and looking how you can defend a disciplinary criticism,’’ in line with a court docket doc that famous Stanford’s Counseling and Psychiatric Providers had been closed when Meyer obtained the e-mail to which she replied she was “shocked and distraught.”
“The actions of Stanford and its staff in charging Katie with a violation of basic requirements over spilling espresso on a Soccer Participant perpetrator of sexual assault with out adequate proof was reckless, and wrongful and resulted in an acute stress response and her impulsive suicide.”
Stanford mentioned the unnamed soccer participant who was kissed by the soccer participant with out consent didn’t take the required steps to provoke a proper investigation, in line with court docket data.
What has Stanford argued?
The varsity objected after months of delays following the Meyers agreeing to supply the mirror drive. It led to the Sept. 28 order from Decide Frederick Chung of the Superior Courtroom of Santa Clara that the Meyers produce the mirror drive in 30 days.
The Meyers agreed March 10 in responses verified below oath to supply the mirror drive however, in line with the decide’s order, “then backtracked.”
The Meyers later argued they by no means agreed to supply an “absolute mirror picture of the decedent’s laptop” and solely “responsive,” “non-privileged data,” in line with the order. The decide wrote that argument is “baseless.”
“As well as,’’ the decide wrote, “the court docket finds {that a} mirror picture of Katie Meyer’s laptop computer is instantly related to the central points on this case, together with Katie’s mind-set and her actions on her laptop.’’
Meyer’s dad and mom say she reported affected by melancholy and suicidal ideation on the time she was going by means of the disciplinary continuing. In line with Meyer’s dad and mom, Stanford’s dealing with of the disciplinary course of led to Meyer’s suicide.
Stanford, in response to the Meyers’ criticism, launched proof it argues exhibits Meyer’s dad and mom contributed to her suicide.
In February 2022, six days earlier than Meyer was discovered useless, she rehearsed in entrance of lecturers an oral presentation she would make to the category about her household relationships earlier than she got here to Stanford, in line with a court docket submitting.
“The notes taken of what Katie mentioned reveal Katie’s struggles along with her dad and mom and their management and strain to be good,’’ Stanford’s attorneys wrote.
Meyer made statements about her psychological state throughout a interval that ended earlier than she enrolled at Stanford, in line with the college’s submitting.
This was cited as a part of the college’s competition that Meyer’s dad and mom “breached…responsibility of care.”
Lawyer Kim Dougherty, who’s representing Meyer’s dad and mom, instructed USA TODAY by e mail, “Whereas elite athletes and devoted college students all the time endure stress associated to their objectives, nothing induced Katie to take her life till the night time she obtained the 5 web page punitive letter threatening every little thing she labored so laborious for and her total future.”
Post-mortem and toxicology studies
A suicide be aware was recovered from the scene, in line with the post-mortem report, which supplies no extra details about the be aware.
A submitting from the Meyers states, “The letter from (Workplace of Neighborhood Requirements) was open on Katie’s laptop display screen on the time of her loss of life.”
However a court docket submitting from Stanford acknowledged the suicide be aware “didn’t point out the (disciplinary) continuing or something associated to it.’’
In line with the post-mortem report, Meyer had been recognized with Main Depressive Dysfunction and Consideration Deficit Hyperactivity Dysfunction (ADHD). The report, which cites a medical report overview, doesn’t say when Meyer was recognized.
At Stanford, she was prescribed Concerta, an ADHD drugs she had been taking since Could 2021 to assist with problems with focus, in line with a court docket submitting. However she “had points” refilling the prescription due to insurance coverage and after November 2021 was unable to get the medication prescribed once more, in line with the submitting.
The submitting states {that a} sports activities psychologist and sports activities psychiatrist at Stanford did not correctly monitor Meyer’s refills regardless that they knew suicidal ideations could also be current for months after discontinuation of the medication. No medicine had been present in her physique on the time of her loss of life, in line with the toxicology report.
In addressing the relevance of the mirror drive, Decide Chung wrote of Meyer’s psychological well being and psychological state, “These points have been pushed to the forefront by the Meyers’ personal allegations…and so the uncomfortable actuality is that a lot of Katie’s non-public life — together with her deepest, darkest ideas — might be probably related to this case.’’
What’s subsequent?
Dougherty, the legal professional representing Meyer’s dad and mom, mentioned they’re ready to adjust to Decide Chung’s deadline to supply the mirror drive by the tip of this month.
On Tuesday, as Stanford was making ready for the ladies’s soccer workforce’s psychological well being consciousness match, Dougherty mentioned she has been engaged on an modification to guard third-party rights within the launch of the mirror drive.
“So if there’s associates of (Meyer’s) or boyfriends or issues like that the place they’re speaking about their very own non-public data, that’s the world that clearly we wish to shield and guarantee is protected as required below California legislation,” Dougherty mentioned. “That’s what we’re negotiating on with Stanford proper now. We aren’t in search of to cover something because it pertains to the Meyers or Katie. We’ve got nothing to cover.”
There isn’t a data on the setting of a trial date, in line with Jessica Kellogg, communications program supervisor for the Superior Courtroom of Santa Clara County.
On Thursday night time, when Stanford performs Oregon State, Meyer will probably be acknowledged in a wide range of methods, in line with the college.
Stanford’s gamers will put on T-shirts that bear the slogan “Katie’s Save,’’ a nod to the initiative of Meyer’s dad and mom to require schools to offer college students the choice to pick out a delegated advocate. They argue it might have saved their daughter.
As they’ve all season, Stanford gamers will put on jerseys with a butterfly patch in honor of Meyer. She cherished butterflies.
In the event you or somebody you realize could also be fighting suicidal ideas, you may name the U.S. Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time day or night time, or chat on-line.
Disaster Textual content Line additionally supplies free, 24/7, confidential help by way of textual content message to folks in disaster once they dial 741741.
