Yale sued over killing of graduate student Annie Le

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Yale University failed to take steps to protect graduate student Annie Le and other women on its New Haven, Conn., campus, a wrongful death suit charges.

In a complaint filed Tuesday in state court in Connecticut, Joe Tacopina, a New York lawyer representing her estate, said the university shares responsibility for Le's 2009 killing, Newsday reported. Raymond J. Clark III, a former lab technician, is serving a 44-year sentence for strangling Le and dumping her body behind a wall in a Yale building.

Yale "created a culture of tolerance that allowed and encouraged aggressive male behavior," Tacopina said. He said the university has a history of failing to ensure the safety of women on campus.

Le was studying for a doctorate in pharmacology. Her body was found on Sept. 8, 2009, the day she had planned to be married.

Tom Conroy, a spokesman for the university, said Clark's actions could not have been predicted.

"This lawsuit serves neither justice nor Annie's memory, and the university will defend against it as appropriate," Conroy said.