STANFORD, Calif. (KNX) — California’s top university has been named in a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the 2020 overdose death of a student.
Eitan Weiner, a 19-year-old sophomore at Stanford University, died of an accidental overdose in January of that year after he reportedly ingested bootleg Percocet pills that contained fentanyl. He was found dead inside the on-campus Theta Delta Chi fraternity house where he lived.
On Jan. 15. Weiner “showed clear signs of opioid overdose,” Weiner’s sister Ya’el told ABC Los Angeles. “The on-call RA called 911. And there was no follow-up in the 36 hours leading up to his death” two days later.
The complaint alleged university officials failed to follow the school’s own policies to protect students and ignored warnings about counterfeit Percocet pills circulating locally.
For the Weiners, the decision to sue was personal. Ya’el Weiner is a 2019 graduate of the school. Both parents are also employed by Stanford. The siblings’ mother, Julia Erwin-Weiner, worked as a development executive with the law and medical schools, and their father, Amir Weiner, is a professor of history.
The lawsuit, filed by Weiner’s family, was described by Ya’el Weiner as a “last resort.”
“We knew that they were going to get to the point that they weren’t going to be compelled by any means to do anything,” she said, noting that the statute of limitations to bring a wrongful death suit is two years.
In a statement, university officials said: "We were saddened to receive news of this lawsuit as our community continues to mourn Eitan's tragic death, and we have great sympathy for his family and those affected by it. We do not agree with many of the allegations in the complaint and we will defend the university against this lawsuit."
"We've tried to work with Stanford. We begged and pleaded for them to step up and do the right thing- hold themselves and their students, and their student organizations accountable," Ya'el Weiner told ABC. "But they failed to do that. And they've just been resistant to cooperating and doing so. And so, this is just finally the opportunity for us to seek some sort of justice and some measure of accountability."
The suit also named a family friend of the Weiners who is alleged to have sold Eitan the pills. It also named Weiner’s roommates at the time of his death.
The Weiners alleged the young men “compromised” a criminal investigation into their friend’s death, concealed evidence, and have “gone on to live their lives with no accountability.”
"They're about to graduate with their Stanford degrees, Eitan doesn't get to graduate in the spring,” she said.
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