The tragic loss of four University of Idaho students in a horrific 2022 stabbing incident has led their families to take legal action against Washington State University (WSU). They have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, asserting that the university overlooked multiple warning signs concerning Bryan Kohberger, the accused perpetrator.
On January 7, a civil complaint was submitted in Skagit County Superior Court by Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, the mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, the father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, the mother of Ethan Chapin. The lawsuit alleges gross negligence and wrongful death on the part of WSU, along with violations of federal education laws such as Title IX.
The families are pursuing unspecified monetary compensation through the lawsuit. According to Robert Clifford, a senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, leaving the damages unspecified is a common tactic in significant legal battles. This approach is designed to prevent the case from becoming sensationalized and ensures that the jury remains the ultimate arbiter of the outcome.
Clifford, although not directly involved in the case, commented, “Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury. But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”
Reflecting on the victims’ lives, a poignant image captures Madison Mogen smiling as she sits on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves. They are joined by Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates in what became Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared just a day before the tragic attack. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
“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.”
Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.
“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.”
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing on July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. Kohberger pleaded guilty in exchange for being spared the death penalty for the stabbing of four University of Idaho. (Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)
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’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.
The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory 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 – even though they had the authority to do so.
Bryan Kohberger has made numerous complaints about his living conditions in prison, where he will spend the rest of his life. (Zach Wilkinson-Pool/Getty Images)
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.
“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.
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.
An aerial map released by the Moscow City Police Department Nov. 18 shows the final movements of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves before they were slaughtered in their home Nov. 13. (City of Moscow Police Department )
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
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, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.
Exterior view of Idaho State Correctional Complex in Kuna, Idaho, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Bryan Kohberger is being housed at this facility after being sentenced in the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation. Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.
WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.
