Parents of college football player file wrongful death suit after safety pleas ignored
The lawsuit says former Northwestern State Demons football coach Brad Laird was aware that Ronnie Caldwell Jr. was having trouble with his roommate, yet failed to intervene as promised.
The parents of Northwestern State University football player Ronnie Caldwell Jr. have filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that their voiced concerns for their son’s safety were ignored.
According to the Louisiana Record, on Nov. 4, Ronald Caldwell Sr. and Blanche Bradley filed a federal court complaint on behalf of the younger Caldwell against the State of Louisiana via the Board of Supervisors of Northwestern State University and former football coach Brad Laird.
The complaint also lists Campus Advantage Inc. — which owns and runs the Quad Apartment Complex, where Ronnie Caldwell was killed on Oct. 12 — and an unidentified insurance carrier that granted a general liability policy to the company as defendants.
It accuses each defendant of survival and wrongful death negligence and the state of vicarious liability on Laird’s behalf.
According to the lawsuit, Caldwell and a teammate lived off campus at the Quad Apartment Complex. After finding mold in their apartment, they were moved to another unit, housed with someone who was not a fellow student.
“Ronnie and his new roommate were not a good match,” the complaint notes. “During their short time period living together, they had a series of verbal altercations. On Oct. 9, 2023, Ronnie’s new roommate pulled a gun on him during an altercation.”
Caldwell phoned his father, who texted Laird to tell the coach about the encounter and that “he needed help.”
Laird called the worried dad to assure him “he would take expedient action and move Ronnie to a safe location immediately.”
However, three days later, Laird called the elder Caldwell at 2:07 a.m. to alert him that his son had been slain, according to the complaint, the Record reported.
Laird resigned as Northwestern State’s football coach after the college’s suspension of the rest of the Demons’ football season.
Natchitoches Police arrested Caldwell’s roommate, John McIntosh, on Oct. 13 for possessing a handgun in the presence of a dangerous controlled substance. Although officials have yet to charge anyone with Caldwell’s murder, media sources report that McIntosh, 27, was arrested nine years ago for attempted second-degree murder.
The co-ed’s parents are suing for compensatory and punitive damages, as well as interest, court expenses and other monetary compensation. Helen Daniel and Kathryn Williams of Daniel Williams & Associates and Jonathan Cox and Troy Pradia of the Cox Pradia Law Firm, both based in Houston, Texas, represent them.
Their lawsuit contends that Campus Advantage “had a duty to warn or to make safe any hidden dangers and a duty not to cause injury through gross negligence by tolerating frequent violent criminal activity.”
It asserts the complex did not offer sufficient security measures to prevent crime from occurring, adding that the “entry gate was broken and not monitored,” the Record reports, “and there were no security guards on the premises.”
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