A Kent State student reached a $50,000 settlement with the university and the State of Ohio.
Maeve Grennan, a junior studio art major, filed the lawsuit in the Ohio Court of Claims after being injured on campus. In the lawsuit, she claimed it was due to a hazard and negligence on behalf of the university. She initially requested $25,000.
The Maeve Grennan v. Kent State University case closed May 3, 2024, as a compromise of disputed claims.
Grennan’s official complaint, filed Jan. 26, 2024, states she was hurrying to the mail room March 17, 2023, to pick up a package before it closed. The lighting near her residence was allegedly dim and she was walking briskly.
It states, “Plaintiff was expecting a parcel from her mother, namely a package of Irish soda bread in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Plaintiff wished to pick up the soda bread on the evening in question in order to consume it before it spoiled.”
Grennan claimed in her complaint that she tripped and fell over a rope or wire that was connected between two benches, about one foot off the ground. She suffered a fractured elbow requiring surgery, as well as other injuries.
According to her lawsuit, the injury caused her schoolwork to suffer for the rest of the semester, and she had to quit her on-campus job.
As part of the settlement, the university maintains its payment is not an admission of fault. Both parties declined to comment on the matter.
Lauren Cohen is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
