For Star subscribers: Family members of hydrologist Thomas Meixner, interviewed for the first time, doubt he would want them to sue the university. But they're anxious for the university to fix its shortfalls.
Tim Steller In our society, what comes after a tragedy like the killing of hydrology professor Tom Meixner at the University of Arizona seems obvious and natural.Meixner's family sues the university for their negligence in protecting Meixner from a student long known to be threatening violence. That's just how things work in the USA.In her first interview since the Oct. 5 killing, widow Kathleen Meixner said she might not sue.
UA response 'incredibly disappointing'The university has hired an outside firm, the PAX Group, to review the entire episode and make recommendations. The UA also hired Steve Patterson, the recently retired head of the FBI's Tucson office, to help with the university's Threat Assessment and Management Team.
It was this sort of thing, the cutoff of insurance that happened 11 days after Meixner was killed, that prompted Colin Cotter to start consulting with attorneys, he said. "To our knowledge, there is no actionable claim against the university or any of the entities under their umbrella — UAPD, board of regents, general counsel," Cotter said."My understanding is that they are all protected under our workers comp laws, and that workers compensation is the exclusive remedy for when an employee is killed on the job, despite the presence of gross negligence.
"It’s so crazy to me that the system is so broken that the university has no liability, the Pima County Attorney’s Office has no liability, and the university has no way to give a dollar to Kathleen," Colin Cotter said."Or, at this point, to do something unique and special to take care of the witnesses and other people."
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