Home      Login

Abstract: 

The parents of Elizabeth Shin, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student who took her own life in April 2000, sued MIT, claiming that the school did not respond quickly enough to threats of suicide made by their daughter. The case was the subject of an article by Deborah Sontag (“Who Was Responsible for Elizabeth Shin,” New York Times Magazine, April 28, 2002, p. 57) and has received national attention. Although MIT was able to obtain summary judgment dismissing some contract claims, the court left intact certain negligence claims. Shin v. MIT , 2005 WL 186910 (Mass. Super.). Although the case has since been settled, the story raises significant issues for university officials dealing with at-risk students.

Keywords: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Shin v. MIT;

Affiliations:  .