Stanford University has reached a settlement with the family of former star goalkeeper Katie Meyer, bringing an end to a wrongful death lawsuit that accused the elite institution of contributing to the 22-year-old athlete’s suicide through what the family described as a “reckless” disciplinary process.
The settlement, confirmed Monday through a joint statement by Stanford and Meyer’s parents, Steven and Gina Meyer, comes nearly three years of legal disputes stemming from Meyer’s death in March 2022.
While the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the settlement includes several symbolic and institutional measures honouring Meyer and addressing student mental health.
Meyer, a two-time team captain who helped Stanford win the 2019 NCAA women’s soccer championship, was found dead in her campus dorm room hours after receiving a late-evening email from Stanford’s Office of Community Standards.
The email warned that she could face serious disciplinary sanctions, including possible expulsion, over an allegation that she had spilled coffee on a Stanford football player.
Allegations, lawsuit and Stanford’s response
The lawsuit, filed in November 2022, alleged that Stanford administrators showed “callous disregard” for Meyer’s mental health by sending what her parents called a threatening disciplinary notice just months before her graduation.
The family maintained that Meyer had been defending a women’s soccer teammate, who was a minor at the time, during the incident.
Stanford earlier rejected claims that it was responsible for Meyer’s death, with university officials dismising the lawsuit’s central allegations. However, the settlement marks a resolution without an admission of wrongdoing.
What the settlement includes
As part of the agreement, Stanford will retire Meyer’s No. 19 jersey, a rare honour within the university’s women’s soccer programme. The school will also establish the Katie Meyer Leadership Award, to be presented annually to an outstanding Stanford student-athlete.
In addition, Stanford agreed to adopt the principles of “Katie Meyer’s Law,” a California law passed in 2024 that mandates mental health support and access to advisers for students facing disciplinary proceedings.
Although Stanford, as a private university, is not legally bound by the legislation, it will voluntarily implement its core protections.
The university will also collaborate with the Meyer family to launch a new mental health initiative for student-athletes at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, a step the family says reflects their hope that “no other student endures what Katie did.”
