(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Wednesday, July 16, a lawsuit was filed that alleges that the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) failed to protect its students in the aftermath of a deadly shooting that left two people dead on campus in 2024.
The lawsuit comes after Nicholas Jordan was convicted in April of fatally shooting his roommate, Samuel Knopp, and Knopp’s friend Celie Montgomery, inside a UCCS dorm room on Feb. 16, 2024. Both Jordan and Knopp were students at the university, while Montgomery was visiting campus at the time. Jordan received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the killings.
The lawsuit filed by Celie’s mother, Melody Montgomery, alleges UCCS was aware of warning signs surrounding Jordan as early as Aug. 2023, six months before the shooting. According to the lawsuit, the university knew Jordan struggled with mental health issues and substance use and that he posed a potential threat to others.
The lawsuit names 12 defendants, including the university’s Chancellor, members of the office of the Dean of Students, housing officials, campus mental health professionals, and the university’s Chief of Police. The lawsuit also claims the university’s Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation (CARE) Team, which is responsible for addressing concerning student behavior, was aware of Jordan’s conduct and discussed it on multiple occasions, but failed ot intervene.
“What we’re really hoping for is truth finding, figuring out exactly what happened, accountability for that, and making sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Jessica McBryant, an attorney representing Celie’s mother. “Jordan had so many instances of conduct that should have expelled him, that should have gotten him in trouble, and they did anything and everything to keep him there, and they did very little to protect people.”
According to the lawsuit, UCCS’ CARE Team was aware that Jordan had been removed from a private, off-campus housing complex after allegedly using and attempting to sell drugs, as well as verbally harassing other tenants. The university placed Jordan in a dorm with Knopp as an emergency housing solution. Just 11 days later, a student reported that Jordan had been sexually harassing her.
The 27-page complaint also cites a Jan. 15 incident in which Jordan threatened to kill one of his roommates.
“If you’re going to force people to live together and they express disagreements that go beyond just regular roommates and it goes into threatening behavior, something needs to be done,” said Jared Mazzei, an attorney representing Celie’s mother.
In December, the university released a 91-page independent review pointing to several policies, procedures, and trainings that needed improvement.
While the university won’t comment on pending litigation, UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet spoke with the media at a roundtable following the release of the report. “Our highest priorities as they relate to this tragedy are to support justice for the individuals lost and their families and to look critically at our institution to see where our response can improve,” said Sobanet.
Sobanet also said the report “did not find any individual at the university was responsible for a violation of policy, or that anyone knowingly contributed to this tragic outcome.”
Those behind the report said “a case could be made that this incident should have been enough for the CARE Team to mark Jordan as an elevated risk, and could have given officials grounds for a more aggressive and direct intervention.
Celie’s mother, who is now caring for her daughter’s two children, wants monetary compensation. The lawsuit also requests a jury trial, stating “the people of Colorado demand answers about what happened.”
While FOX21 News isn’t aware of any lawsuits from the Knopp family, the attorneys in this case say they’ll get justice for them as well.
About The Author
