Katie Meyer was a student at Stanford University where she shined as a soccer player and Captain of her team. She was also an excellent student with many friends. But on the night of February 28, 2022 Katie Meyer committed suicide in her dorm room.
Katie had received a formal disciplinary letter from the Assistant Dean relating to an incident that had occurred in August 2021 where she spilled coffee on a football player whom she believed had sexually assaulted a soccer player on her team. The football player himself had expressed to Stanford that he did not want any punishment that would impact her life.
The 5 page letter, however, contained threatening language and potential removal from the university, according to the lawsuit. Imagine receiving a letter like this after hours, alone in your dorm room. Stanford’s psychiatric and counseling offices were closed. This was according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Katie’s parents. Katie had been receiving a string of letters from Stanford and this seems to have put her over the edge, not knowing if she would be able to graduate in a few months.
Katie’s parents filed a lawsuit against Stanford and although they initially denied any wrongdoing, on January 26, 2026 a settlement was reached. Stanford established the Katie Meyer Leadership Award to recognize an exceptional student-athlete each year. Stanford also agreed to adopt “Katie Meyer’s Law” intended to support students facing Stanford’s disciplinary process. It was signed into law in 2024.
While it is encouraging to see the progress that schools such as Stanford are making to improve disciplinary action, there seems to be much-needed work among universities across the country that take disciplinary steps to extraordinary levels. Decker Paulmeier, a friend of Katie Meyer, was also disciplined at Stanford and he wrote an opinion piece about his experience (see below).
If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or needs immediate crisis counseling, call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org
https://katiessave.org/legislative-updates/
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23320591-meyer-v-stanford-complaint/?mode=document
https://www.thefp.com/p/stanfords-war-against-its-own-students