{"id":116478,"date":"2026-01-09T16:50:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T21:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/idaho-murder-victims-families-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-washington-state-university-116478"},"modified":"2026-01-09T16:50:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T21:50:47","slug":"idaho-murder-victims-families-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-washington-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/idaho-murder-victims-families-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-washington-state-university-116478","title":{"rendered":"Idaho murder victims\u2019 families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court,<\/a> was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.<\/p>\n

Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.<\/p>\n

‘JAILHOUSE KAREN’ BRYAN KOHBERGER COMPLAINS ABOUT PRISON BANANAS AFTER QUADRUPLE MURDER CONVICTION: REPORT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”<\/p>\n

Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof \u2013 requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.<\/p>\n

“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”<\/p>\n

According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing. The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger\u2019s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.<\/p>\n

The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory<\/a> behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders \u2013 even though they had the authority to do so.<\/p>\n

READ THE LAWSUIT \u2013 APP USERS, <\/strong>CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.<\/p>\n

“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025<\/a> to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho<\/a>, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.<\/p>\n

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania<\/a> in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation. Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data<\/a> showing repeated late-night trips near the victims\u2019 home.<\/p>\n

WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/idaho-murder-victims-families-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-washington-state-university <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-116478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIdaho murder victims\u2019 families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/idaho-murder-victims-families-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-washington-state-university-116478\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Idaho murder victims\u2019 families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University - 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