Stanford Settles Wrongful Death Suit With Soccer Player Katie Meyer’s Family

The family of Katie Meyer, the Stanford soccer goalie who died by suicide in March 2022, announced a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit against the university on Monday.

Meyer’s family sued Stanford and administrators in November 2022 alleging their handling of a disciplinary matter led their daughter “to suffer an acute stress reaction that impulsively led to her suicide.” Meyer had received an email that “contained threatening language regarding sanctions and potential ‘removal from the university’” on the night of her death, the lawsuit said.

The family and Stanford announced the school will spearhead several efforts in Meyer’s honor. Stanford and Meyer’s family will start “an initiative focused on the mental health and well-being of student-athletes” at the school’s neurosciences institute. Meyer’s No. 19 will be retired, and the athletic department will create the annual Katie Meyer Leadership Award for “exceptional” Stanford athletes. The school will also “adopt the principles” of Katie Meyer’s Law, a California act passed in 2024 that allows students in state colleges and universities to get an advisor when going through a disciplinary process. A Katie Meyer’s Law bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in September.

“Stanford and the Meyer family believe that working together on these initiatives will both honor Katie’s indelible legacy and help current and future students in meaningful ways,” read a joint statement.

Meyer was Stanford’s starting goalie during their 2019 national championship season. Her two saves during penalty kicks won the Cardinal the championship game. She captained the team during her senior year.

The disciplinary action stemmed from an alleged incident in August 2021 where Meyer had been defending her teammate, her parents said. She was facing disciplinary action for allegedly spilling coffee on a Stanford football player while riding her bike, after which he needed medical attention for burns on his back, according to court documents filed by both sides. The family’s complaint said the player had allegedly sexually assaulted one of Meyer’s teammates, who was a minor. The school said in court documents that the football player had kissed one of Meyer’s teammates without getting consent.

Meyer’s family said the school mishandled their daughter’s disciplinary process and caused the senior stress by threatening her degree. Meyer was found dead in her dorm room.

“Katie’s suicide was completed without planning and solely in response to the shocking and deeply distressing information she received from Stanford while alone in her room without any support or resources,” the family said in the lawsuit.

Stanford denied at the time that the school was responsible for Meyer’s death.