The parents of college freshman Sydney Meegan are suing Colorado State University over her death from anaphylaxis. They allege that an inadequate emergency response led to her tragedy.
The lawsuit claims as well that the university withheld information from the family. It also names as defendants a CSU police dispatcher, a college resident adviser, and two individuals who were also CSU students at the time.
Jessica and Douglas Meegan filed the lawsuit in Larimer County, Colorado on October 1, 2024. The suit comes two years after their daughter died on October 2, 2022, in the Durward Hall residence of the CSU campus in Fort Collins.
“We want accountability, we want answers and we want action,” Sydney’s mom Jessica Meegan told Allergic Living.
On the night of her death, Sydney, who had a severe milk allergy, was exposed to milk products, drugs and alcohol in a room in Durward Hall, the complaint alleges. The 18-year-old had gone out to dinner in Fort Collins with the two other students before going to the dorm room of one of them, the lawsuit states.
But the family still doesn’t know exactly what happened in that dorm room. Nor, says Jessica Meegan, have they have been unsuccessful in attempts to get information from the university. She calls the police report, which took six months to receive, “pathetically inadequate.”
“CSU willfully withheld vital information that would answer some of the questions we were asking,” she says.
Sydney’s parents believed that CSU’s policies and procedures would help ensure their daughter’s safety in the dorms. Those policies should have equipped the college to handle medical emergencies, Jessica Meegan says. “But that was not the case.”
“We decided to take legal action because we feel betrayed by CSU. Sydney should not have died,” says her mom.
Meegan Lawsuit Cites Inept Response
The Meegan lawsuit points to an inadequate response to the college student’s severe allergic reaction.
The two students named in the Meegans’ lawsuit are accused of exposing her “to milk products along with potential exposure to dangerous drugs and alcohol.” The complaint says they were aware of her severe milk allergy. The lawsuit also alleges the students did not call for emergency help when Sydney told them her tongue was numb and she was having difficulty breathing. These are signs of an allergic reaction.
Sydney went to a friend’s room, says the suit, to look for allergy medication. On leaving the room, she collapsed.
The complaint says resident adviser Hannah Brock was then contacted, but did not call 911 when she saw that Sydney was in distress. Instead, she called a non-emergency police line, the lawsuit states. Brock is no longer an employee of the college, according to the Meegans’ attorney Randal Manning.
Robert Darling, a former dispatcher for the CSU police department, is also a defendant. The lawsuit says he did not route the emergency call correctly. Also, he did not instruct anyone in the dorm room to administer CPR, “with knowledge of the danger posed to Sydney,” the complaint states. Darling was terminated from his job after the incident, according to the complaint.
“Because of the actions of students and multiple systemic failures leading to failures to follow policies, procedures and protocols, emergency care for Sydney was inappropriate and delayed,” Jessica Meegan says.
CSU officials see Sydney’s death quite differently. “Sydney Meegan’s death was a tragic medical event, and our hearts continue to go out to her family,” said CSU spokesperson Tiana Kennedy. She told Allergic Living: “CSU and its employees were not responsible for her passing, which will be addressed through the legal process.”
Meegan Lawsuit: Information Frustration
The Meegans’ lawsuit also alleges the university did not comply with an open records request to gain information about what happened to Sydney on the night of her fatal reaction in the residence hall. “We had to pursue legal action to get information,” Jessica Meegan says.
CSU can only refuse to provide information for a valid reason under the open records law in Colorado, says attorney Manning, a managing partner of Colorado firm Ramos Law. Manning filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Littleton, Colorado family.
He says that CSU should not withhold information relating to the investigation, such as police bodycam footage, phone calls and social media materials. “They are well past the deadline for responding,” Manning says.
One thing that is confirmed: the Larimer County Coroner’s Office determined anaphylaxis was the teen’s cause of death following an autopsy.
Manning, who graduated from CSU, tells Allergic Living that, “Sydney’s death makes me sick to my stomach.” He is concerned about the university’s response to what he calls “the preventable death of a freshmen student who trusted CSU.”
“What happened to Sydney was not OK, the dysfunction as an organization contributed to her death. As an institution it needs to examine itself to better serve our state and its students,” Manning says.
Dynamic Teen’s Legacy
Besides believing that CSU is not being forthcoming about Sydney’s death, the Meegan family “has felt completely abandoned by CSU,” Jessica Meegan says.
Sydney’s mom says there was no campus vigil, and there were no flowers placed near her dorm. Nothing was done to remember the CSU student who was “so excited to go there.”
“It was as if they wanted us gone, and the whole thing to go away quietly,” the grieving mother says.
Sydney was a dynamic teen, known for her bright spirit and positive energy. The student was a talented, competitive swimmer, who also loved horseback riding. Sydney often shared her excitement of being on campus with her mom, and had joined the Chi Omega sorority.
Her parents worked to pass state legislation in her honor. Colleges and universities in Colorado will be safer for students with food allergies thanks to the Sydney Meegan’s Law.
The law, which took effect in June 2023, requires colleges and universities in the state to have epinephrine auto-injectors available. Colorado is the first state in the U.S. to mandate stock epinephrine at the higher education level.
What Lawsuit Seeks
As for the lawsuit, the Meegans are seeking damages for loss, pain and suffering. However, Jessica Meegan stresses that they also want CSU to improve their policies and procedures to protect students with medical conditions. The family wants CSU to put programs in place to ensure students in need get timely emergency care.
The Meegan family continues to come to terms with the tragic loss of Sydney. In addition to her parents, Sydney is survived by siblings Kierney, Delaney and Braden.
“She’s never coming back. Even all of this we’re doing will never bring her back. But maybe it will help someone else,” Jessica Meegan says.
Related Reading:
College Epi Law Honors Student Who Died in Allergy Tragedy
Brilliant, Beloved College Student Dies of Nut Allergy Reaction
