Current:Home > InvestNearly 30 years later, family of slain California college student sues school for wrongful death -Prime Money Path
Nearly 30 years later, family of slain California college student sues school for wrongful death
View
Date:2025-04-28 09:09:37
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — The family of a California college student who vanished nearly three decades ago sued the school on Thursday, alleging it caused Kristin Smart’s murder through negligence.
Smart, then 19, disappeared from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo on the state’s scenic Central Coast over Memorial Day weekend in 1996. Her remains have never been found, but she was declared legally dead in 2002.
Paul Flores was arrested in 2021, convicted of first-degree murder in 2022 and sentenced last year to 25 years to life in state prison.
Prosecutors say Flores killed Smart during an attempted rape on May 25, 1996, in his dorm room at the university, where they were both first-year students. He was the last person seen with Smart as he walked home with her from an off-campus party.
On Thursday, Smart’s parents, brother and sister sued the university for wrongful death and negligence, alleging that officials could have prevented her death if they had properly dealt with university police reports filed by four other female students. Those students said Flores had stalked and harassed them in the months leading up to Smart’s disappearance.
In one case, Flores allegedly tried to break into a student’s apartment, according to the lawsuit.
The reports should have prompted the university to investigate, and suspend or expel Flores, removing him from on-campus housing and sending him back home “miles away from Kristin and the dorm room where he murdered her,” the lawsuit said.
“Had the university acted properly, conducted a thorough investigation into Flores’ past concerning behavior, and implemented appropriate disciplinary measures, Kristin would likely still be alive today. Instead, our family has been left to grieve her absence for 27 agonizing years,” a family statement said.
The suit also contends that the university failed to pursue a proper and timely investigation into Smart’s disappearance, including failing to seal Flores’ dorm room and allowing it to be cleaned before it was finally searched 16 days after Smart vanished.
In an email, Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier said the university had no comment because “this is a pending legal matter.”
However, last May, university President Jeffrey Armstrong publicly apologized to the family for how it handled the investigation into her disappearance.
“While it is a different administration now than was in place in 1996, we recognize that things should had been done differently — and I personally wish that they had,” he said.
The family only realized Cal Poly’s alleged negligence after that apology because relatives didn’t have any access to the university’s investigative file, according to the lawsuit.
“Even now, the Smart family still does not know what information, in the possession of Cal Poly’s president, and uniquely available to him and or Cal Poly, led him to make the apology,” the suit said.
veryGood! (5479)
Related
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Social media influencers may seem to live charmed lives. But then comes tax time.
- Man sentenced to 3 years of probation for making threatening call to US House member
- Belarus rights group calls on UN to push for proper treatment of cancer-stricken opposition prisoner
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- 3 People Arrested in Connection With Murders of Pregnant Teen Savanah Soto and Her Boyfriend
- Kim Kardashian's Office Has 3-D Model of Her Brain, a Tanning Bed and More Bizarre Features
- Chris Stapleton, Foo Fighters, Queen Latifah to join The Rolling Stones at 2024 Jazz Fest
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Dua Lipa speaks out on Israel-Hamas war, says ceasefire in Gaza 'has to happen'
Ranking
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Christian Pulisic named US Soccer Male Player of Year. Ted Lasso actor helps break news
- USS Ford aircraft carrier returns home after eight-month deployment
- 1st Nevada Republican Senate primary debate won’t feature front-runner backed by national party
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Social media influencers may seem to live charmed lives. But then comes tax time.
- In larger U.S. cities, affording a home is tough even for people with higher income
- A sticking point in border security negotiations is humanitarian parole. Here’s what that means
Recommendation
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
Jordan Henderson set to move to Dutch club Ajax in blow to Saudi soccer league
Origins of king cake: What to know about the sweet Mardi Gras treat plus a recipe to try
6 alleged gang members convicted of killing Chicago rapper FBG Duck in 2020
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T and More Reflect on Richard Belzer’s Legacy Nearly One Year After His Death
Could Elon Musk become world's first trillionaire? Oxfam report says someone might soon
'All of Us Strangers' movie review: A beautiful ghost story you won't soon forget