Meixner Family Reaches Settlement with University of Arizona
PHOENIX | TUCSON, ARIZONA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dr. Thomas Meixner’s family, through its attorneys, has settled with the University of Arizona and agreed not to file a lawsuit against the University for its failure to protect Dr. Meixner from a student who had repeatedly threatened Dr. Meixner and eventually murdered him on campus. As part of the multi-million-dollar resolution, the University of Arizona will provide critical assistance to those most immediately impacted by Dr. Meixner’s death. Significantly, since the murder, the University has earmarked substantial funding designed to protect the well-being of the University.
Speaking on behalf of the Meixner family, Dr. Meixner’s wife, Kathleen, stated: “So often in the aftermath of school shootings, we learn all the ways that they could and should have been prevented. That is exactly what happened here. 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. But we must look to the future, and with urgency, ensuring that tragedies like ours do not happen to others. We fully support that the University is enacting specific measures through the implementation of the 33 recommendations made by the PAX Group, and that they will conduct monitoring to confirm that they remain in place. The security measures adopted should make the U of A community safer and provide a model to other campuses. My family and I will continue meeting with the University of Arizona President, its Police Chief, and multiple other members of the University administration to make certain it upholds its commitment to make our community safer. Together, we will Bear Down, and find our way forward with courage and love for the Wildcat community which Tom cherished.”
Meixner family attorneys Greg Kuykendall and Larry Wulkan conducted a successful mediation by previewing what a lawsuit would have looked like without a settlement. According to Kuykendall: “The settlement is a testament that accountability is possible in a world where our legal system often protects institutions at the expense of providing appropriate recompense to victims. I was very glad to find a creative path around the usual way of legalistic thinking and achieve a measure of justice for an extraordinary family who has suffered an unthinkable tragedy.”
Wulkan followed: “No amount of money can bring Tom back, but the settlement provides the Meixner family with economic security following the tragedy which has upended their lives and given them a sense of relief that the University of Arizona and State of Arizona are taking seriously the need for effective threat assessment and management at the collegiate level. For that we are very honored to have been able to help them.”
Zwillinger Wulkan is a leading Arizona law firm with a single goal: finding solutions to complex problems.
