News writer sues U.M. for negligence in dorm room death

By: Mark Fitzgerald Detroit News columnist George Cantor is suing the University of Michigan for negligence in the death of his daughter Courtney, who died last October after falling out the window of her sixth-floor dormitory room.
The suit was filed Aug. 9 in Ingham County, Mich., and first reported Sept. 21 by the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News. The suit alleges the windows and loft beds at Mary Markley Hall are unsafe.
Authorities said Courtney Cantor, 18, had alcohol and traces of a so-called "date rape" drug in her system but was not drunk at the time of the fall, according to published reports.
The university has issued a statement saying, "The university is sympathetic to the grief of the Cantor family and friends but we strongly believe that the residence hall rooms and windows at Markley Hall ? are safe and did not contribute to the cause of Ms. Cantor's death."
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(copyright: Editor & Publisher September 25, 1999) [Caption]