Stanford's shocking response to tragic suicide of soccer star Katie Meyer piles more 'hurt' on mourning family

The household of Katie Meyer - a Stanford shot prima who committed termination successful 2022 - person elaborate their renewed 'hurt' implicit the school's effect to her tragic death, which appears to constituent the digit successful the absorption of her parents.

Meyer, a skipper and goalkeeper for the Cardinal, took her ain beingness successful March 2022 - hours aft discovering that she could beryllium expelled for spilling blistery java connected a Stanford shot player.

'I miss her each 2nd of each day,' her begetter Steven says successful a new ESPN documentary, 'Save: The Katie Meyer Story', which sheds airy connected her beingness and her heartbreaking death. 

It features poignant interviews with Meyer's household and explores the fallout from her suicide.

Meyer's parents are suing Stanford successful a wrongful decease lawsuit, accusing the California school of 'systematic failures' and dealing with her disciplinary lawsuit 'negligently and recklessly'.

Towards the extremity of her 5th and last year, the goalkeeper was charged by the assemblage implicit the java spill. Meyer said it was an accident. The shot subordinate - who had been accused of making 'an unwanted intersexual advance' connected 1 of Meyer's teammates - said otherwise.

But, arsenic the documentary explains, the shot prima did not marque a ceremonial ailment and insisted he 'did not privation immoderate punishment that impacts (Meyer's) life'.

But the schoolhouse nevertheless investigated Meyer implicit six months and connected the evening of February 28, 2022, the 22-year-old was told her grade was being enactment connected clasp and she could beryllium kicked retired of school.

That night, Meyer began 'frantically searching' online astir however to support herself astatine trial. The pursuing greeting she was recovered dormant successful her dorm.

According to the household complaint, Meyer had been gathering with sports psychologists and was 'experiencing accrued slump symptoms associated with perceived nonaccomplishment and endorsed suicidal ideations'.

She besides told the schoolhouse that she had been 'stressed retired for months' revealing: '(I am) terrified that an mishap volition destruct my future.'

But tribunal filings amusement that, successful 1 of their defenses successful the lawsuit, Stanford pointed retired that - soon earlier her decease - 'Katie chose to marque her last oral presumption astir her years earlier Stanford and increasing up with controlling parents and unit to succeed.'

That twisted the weapon for a household already successful mourning. 'It hurts my heart... that they're marching down this roadworthy erstwhile we've mislaid our daughter,' Meyer's begetter says. 

'I don't rather cognize what they're getting astatine here, to beryllium honest.'

Stanford besides argued that 'any tenable idiosyncratic would see Katie's termination a highly unusual, bonzer effect to the situation', adding: 'The Stanford defendants did not cognize and had nary crushed to expect that Katie would enactment successful this manner.'

But the Meyer's lawyer insists: 'There is nary denying they knew that their process could origin distress (and) harm.'

She claimed that Stanford had agelong been 'on notice' aft previous, 'serious concern' astir the school's disciplinary and judicial processes.

The household had nary thought astir their daughter's combat with schoolhouse officials and her parent Gina told ESPN: 'It conscionable breaks my bosom that we didn't know. It breaks my heart. It volition ever beryllium broken...' 

Meyer had spoken to her household astir 5pm connected February 28, which was the last time she could beryllium charged by the school. She was excited astir outpouring interruption and, according to her mother, 'it was precise normal, normal, fantastic conversation.'

'She seemed great,' helium dada says. The adjacent day, however, Steven Meyer received a call. 'She's gone,' helium was told. He speculated that she indispensable person had successful an accident. 'It didn't look imaginable with her that it would beryllium suicide,' helium tells ESPN.

He past rang his wife, 'wailing'. 'It was the worst telephone telephone successful your beingness you could ever imagine. It's each parents' nightmare,' Gina says.

But erstwhile looked wrong Katie's dorm room, determination was nary grounds of 'darkness'. 'Nothing,' her dada says. 'Just similar it ever was. Just similar it was connected the FaceTime the nighttime before. Nothing astatine all.'

Gina says: 'Never successful a cardinal years would this kid instrumentality her ain life. We were similar "How? Why? What happened?"

Katie near a enactment successful which she confessed to being 'so, truthful scared' but her parents' disorder lingered until they looked astatine her laptop and recovered the five-page charging letter.

'I felt similar it was a process of picking up the breadcrumbs on the mode to find retired what happened, and however this happened, and however did we not know,' Gina tells ESPN.

The household aboriginal acceptable up a foundation, Katie's Save, to 'fight for systemic changes astatine colleges and universities to beforehand intelligence health, support students and forestall suicide.'

They past worked with politicians to make a caller instrumentality that means immoderate pupil going done disciplinary processes is allowed an advisor to enactment them. 

California politician Gavin Newsom signed Katie Meyer's Law successful September 2024 but, arsenic a backstage university, Stanford is not required to follow it. The suit is acceptable to spell to proceedings successful 2026.

'Katie’s decease was a tragedy' a Stanford authoritative said successful a connection to USA Today. 'It was heartbreaking for her family, for everyone who knew her, and for our full community. Though we proceed to respond to the litigation brought by the family, that information does not diminish our heavy sympathy for her nonaccomplishment and our continuing enactment for everyone impacted successful our community.' 

The Daily Mail has contacted Stanford for comment.

'Save – The Katie Meyer Story' volition aerial astatine 11 a.m. ET connected ESPN Saturday and watercourse afterward connected ESPN+ 

If you are struggling, reach retired to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline