A Washington state court has set a September 13, 2027 trial date for a civil lawsuit brought by the families of four University of Idaho students who were murdered in Moscow in November 2022. The case names Washington State University as a defendant, with families alleging the institution bears legal responsibility for the deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
Bryan Kohberger, a graduate student at WSU at the time of the killings, pleaded guilty to all four murders as part of a plea agreement that spared him from a potential death sentence. He was a criminology doctoral student at the time and lived in Pullman, Washington — just miles from Moscow, Idaho, where the victims shared an off-campus home.
What the Families Allege
The civil complaint contends that WSU had prior knowledge of Kohberger’s troubling behavior toward students — specifically allegations that he was engaged in stalking and sexual harassment — yet took no meaningful action to address the threat he posed. The families argue the university remained passive in the face of warning signs, and that this failure constitutes gross negligence, wrongful death, and violations of federal education law.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, though no specific dollar amount has been stated. The presiding judge has indicated the trial is expected to span approximately 20 days once proceedings begin in Washington state.
The legal theory at the center of the case — that a university can bear civil liability for the off-campus violent acts of a student it allegedly failed to discipline or remove — is expected to be closely watched by legal observers and institutions of higher education across the country. The families’ path to federal trial has been a years-long process since the murders shocked the University of Idaho community and drew national attention.
Background on the Case
The four students were found stabbed to death in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, at a rental home near the UI campus in Moscow. The killings went unsolved for weeks, prompting extensive law enforcement investigations involving local, state, and federal agencies before Kohberger was arrested in late December 2022 at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger faced the possibility of the death penalty in Idaho, but prosecutors reached a plea agreement under which he admitted guilt to all four murders. That agreement allowed him to avoid execution, a decision that drew mixed reactions from the victims’ families and the broader public.
The families subsequently pursued civil legal action, turning their focus to what they allege was institutional negligence at WSU. Their complaint raises questions about what university officials knew regarding Kohberger’s conduct prior to the murders and what steps, if any, were taken in response.
WSU has not publicly conceded any responsibility in the matter, and the university’s defense will have the opportunity to contest the families’ allegations when the case proceeds to trial in 2027. The trial will take place in Washington, given WSU’s location in Pullman.
What Comes Next
With a trial date now formally on the calendar, the coming months will likely involve extensive pretrial activity, including discovery, depositions, and motions practice as both sides prepare for a proceeding the judge estimates will take nearly a month to complete. The September 2027 start date gives attorneys on both sides more than a year to build their respective cases.
For Moscow, Latah County, and the wider University of Idaho community, the civil proceedings represent a continuing chapter in a tragedy that fundamentally altered the campus atmosphere in 2022. The outcome of the trial could have significant implications not only for the families seeking accountability, but potentially for how universities nationwide assess and respond to reports of student misconduct.
For ongoing coverage of Idaho courts and the Kohberger case, visit our earlier report on the families’ push toward federal trial.