The Supreme Court of California decided Wednesday to hear a case brought against UCLA by an alumna who was stabbed by a fellow student in 2009 in a Young Hall laboratory.
In October, a state appeals court ruled UCLA was not obligated to protect UCLA alumna Katherine Rosen when former student, Damon Thompson, stabbed her multiple times. It concluded public universities are not responsible for protecting students from other students’ criminal acts, but the Supreme Court’s review will reopen the case.
Rosen filed a lawsuit against the University of California Board of Regents in 2010.
Prior to the attack, UCLA treated Thompson for symptoms of schizophrenia, including auditory hallucinations and paranoia. In her complaint, Rosen said the university should protect its students from violent attacks and should have taken action to warn students about Thompson. A state appeals court in October also ruled the university was not responsible for cautioning students.
The Supreme Court of California ruled mental health professionals are responsible for protecting individuals who are threatened by patients in a 1976 case, in which a UC Berkeley student killed a fellow student.
UCLA spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez said university officials think the court’s October ruling in favor of the university accurately reflects California law.
Compiled by Shreya Maskara and Nicholas Yu, Bruin senior staff.