The family of University of Arizona Professor Thomas Meixner, who, a former student, was shot and killed in 2022, got a $2.5 million settlement from the university.
On Tuesday, January 9th, the family announced that they decided to settle with the university. The family claims that the university failed to protect Thomas Meixner from an ex-student who had repeatedly threatened him.
“Tom’s murder revealed missed opportunities even though efforts by the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences department were exemplary in communicating a credible threat and seeking help to protect the U of A community,” the professor’s wife, Kathleen Meixner, said in a statement.
Their legal representatives, Greg Kuykendall and Larry Wulkan, explained that the mediation was “successful” and the university had no choice but to settle. However, the settlement did not include only the monetary aspect.
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It contains provisions that require the university to establish and fund an endowed professorship in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences named after Thomas Meixner.
In addition, the school must provide resources to the department to continue the mental health treatment of the students that the incident infected. They must also provide a tuition or fee waiver for them.
The university agreed to these conditions and is committed to doing all it can to prevent something like this from happening again. They are also committed to supporting “the well-being of those most affected by these events” and providing the family with a voice in the university’s planning and implementation of security and safety measures.
The ex-student Murad Dervish, 46, shot and killed the Professor inside the Harshbarger Building on October 5th, 2022. He was the head of the school’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.
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Minutes before the incident, campus police received a call from inside the building requesting that they escort a former student out of the building. Sadly, they were still on the way to the building when they received reports of a shooting that left one person injured.
According to then-campus police Chief Paula Balafas, they rushed Thomas to a hospital, but it was too late. Doctors at the hospital pronounced him dead shortly after arrival. Arizona state troopers immediately started looking for Dervish. About 120 miles northwest of the university, they found him in a vehicle and arrested him.
According to authorities, Dervish was a former graduate of Thomas. He has also had a well-documented history of violence and intimidation. However, according to Meixner’s family, the university did not take these threats seriously.
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The university expelled him from the school and barred him from the campus premises. However, he continued sending threatening text messages and emails to Meixner and other professors.
He is still in court and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Meixner’s death. Students and other members of the university adored Thomas and will miss him greatly. A few days after the incident, students and staff set up a memorial with flowers and prayers for the professor.
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