Charlie Kirk’s family took an initial step towards filing a lawsuit against the state of Utah and Utah Valley University, where the conservative activist was assassinated in September 2025.
The Kirk family filed a notice of claim blaming Utah, Utah Valley University, the Utah Valley University Police Department, and other officials for failing to take necessary steps that could have stopped Kirk’s assassination. Brett Parkinson, the attorney representing the Kirk family in their case, said in a statement that Kirk’s assassination was “entirely preventable.”
Parkinson said the murder of Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, “would not have happened had the State of Utah and UVU followed through on their stated security promises, which included protecting the rooftops surrounding the quad where Charlie was speaking.”
The notice of claim extends the statute of limitations and is often the first step a party takes before suing an organization such as Utah Valley University.
“Those failures not only robbed Charlie Kirk of his life, but also robbed his family of their husband, father, son, and brother, with impacts that will compound for the rest of their lives,” Parkinson said. “Justice and accountability under the law are key tenets of the American judicial system. This claim preserves the right of Charlie Kirk’s family to pursue accountability for Charlie’s death.”
According to UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long, who is named individually in the notice, there were six police officers designated to patrol the event when Kirk was assassinated, as about 3,000 people attended. The six officers were about one-quarter of the university’s police force, according to the Associated Press. Illinois State University police assigned more than a dozen officers to patrol an event for 700 attendees, per the outlet.
Sharon Turner, senior director of communications for Utah Valley University, told the Washington Examiner that the institution is aware of the Kirk Family’s notice.
“We are aware of the notice of claim,” Turner said. “UVU addresses legal matters consistent with our established processes. Our focus remains on supporting our campus community.”
The notice of claim comes as the latest development in Kirk’s surviving family’s push for justice after his assassination. Separately, Utah prosecutors are seeking justice against Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson.
In early September, Utah Judge Tony Graf ruled that Robinson will stand trial on murder charges. The trial’s date has not yet been set, but the next hearing in the case will take place on Oct. 23 and could be set then.