Second dismissal requested in Ronnie Caldwell's wrongful death suit

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - A second motion for dismissal has been filed in the wrongful death lawsuit against Northwestern State football player Ronnie Caldwell Jr. The most recent filing was made by the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System. Last month, the family of Caldwell filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in Alexandria, claiming that Northwestern State University and former football coach Brad Laird “failed” to protect Caldwell. The lawsuit also claims that the Quad Apartment Complex on University Parkway in Natchitoches, where Caldwell lived and was shot and killed, did not maintain a safe living condition. In that complaint, the lawsuit states that three days before Caldwell was killed, he had a verbal altercation with his roommate, in which the family claims his roommate “pulled a gun on him.” According to the lawsuit, Caldwell’s father texted Laird “alerting him that he needed help” and that Laird called and responded that he would “take expedient action and move Caldwell to a safe location immediately.” Attorneys for Caldwell said, “Instead of listening to and heeding Ronnie’s cries for help to move away from his violent roommate, NSU and Coach Laird failed one of its students and star athletes. Ultimately, their failure cost Ronnie his life.” In a new update to the lawsuit, the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana Systems filed a motion of dismissal on December 15 arguing that there was a lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Back on November 27, Campus Advantage Inc., the owner of the Quad Apartment Complex, filed its own motion for dismissal on the same claim. Both Campus Advantage and Caldwell’s family are based out of Texas. As a result, the Board of Supervisors argued that the case does not meet federal diversity jurisdiction requirements. In addition to that, the Board of Supervisors also argued that they are protected by the 11th Amendment, which states that a state agency cannot be sued outside Louisiana State Court. The motion states that Northwestern State is an “arm” of the University of Louisiana System, which is state-funded. As for the investigation into Caldwell’s death, two arrests were made following the deadly shooting on October 12. However, over two months later, Natchitoches Police have not charged anyone for Caldwell’s murder.