The University of Arizona and the family of a professor who was shot and killed on campus last year are working together to resolve the family's multimillion-dollar claim against the university, the two parties say.
Thomas Meixner, the head of the UA Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Department, was killed on Oct. 5, 2022, in the Harshbarger building on campus, where the department still operates today.
In a joint statement Thursday, the school and the attorney for the family said they're working to resolve the $9 million claim.
The announcement was made the same day as Meixner's memorial service was held at St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Church as part of a campus-wide recognition of the anniversary of the professor's slaying.
"To honor the memory of Professor Thomas Meixner on the anniversary of his death, the University and Professor Meixner’s family are working together to resolve the claim that the Meixner family has brought against the University," the family and the school said in a joint statement.
Saturday, the attorney Greg Kuykendall shared a statement from the family.
“Everyday, we grieve the loss of Thomas Meixner. He was a beloved Wildcat, brilliant mind, and exceptional father and husband. The Meixner family is, with courage and love, tirelessly working for change to ensure the safety of all Wildcats," the family said.
The family's $9 million claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, was filed in March against the university's governing body, the Arizona Board of Regents.
It claims the shooting was a "direct consequence" of the university's failure to respond to repeated threats made by Murad Dervish, who was arrested and charged with Meixner's death. His trial was set to begin in September; however, it was recently pushed to 2024.
The allegations were backed up by a report, also made public in March. The 205-page report released by PAX, the outside consulting firm, listed 33 recommendations for the UA to adopt. It cited systematic issues in the university's emergency response systems which failed in taking preventative action in the months leading up to the shooting.
"The University and the Meixner family look forward to improving the safety and security of all those touched by this killing, as well as doing everything possible to insure such a tragedy does not strike anyone in the University of Arizona family again," the joint statement said.
In May, UA President Robert C. Robbins announced that Paula Balafas was out as chief of the UA Police Department. She was replaced by Chris Olson of the Oro Valley Police Department. Steve Patterson, a former Tucson-based FBI agent was named interim head of the university's newly formed Office of Public Safety in April.
New door locks and signage to buildings and classrooms campus-wide were announced ahead of the fall semester, which welcomed the university's largest incoming freshman class to date. Additions, updates and the creation of new student resources were part of the university's effort, with the hopes to improve to the university's response in the event of another crisis.
Meixner's death was just weeks before the 20th anniversary of a shooting at the UA's College of Nursing. In that 2002 shooting, a former UA nursing student killing three of his former professors and himself.
