Articles by Sam Metz

Utah District to Pay $2M to Family of Bullied Black Girl Who Died by Suicide

A Utah school district has agreed to pay $2 million to the family of a Black, autistic 10-year-old girl who killed herself after being harassed by her classmates. The lawsuit said that Izzy, the only Black student in her class, …

Investigators: Poor Track Conditions Caused Deadly 2021 Montana Amtrak Derailment

Poor track conditions that should have been flagged by a freight railroad company’s inspectors caused the derailment of an Amtrak train in Montana that killed three people and injured 49 others in 2021, federal investigators said in a final report. …

Utah Allocates Millions to Prepare for Flood Damage After Wet Winter

As the winter’s record snowpack melts and cascades down from the Rockies, Utah lawmakers set aside millions of dollars to prepare for potentially historic flooding. The state is among the many in the American West confronting the wet winter’s consequences, …

Paltrow Won’t Recoup Attorney Fees in Utah Ski Crash Suit

Gwyneth Paltrow will not recoup the attorneys’ fees she paid to successfully defend herself against a lawsuit from a 76-year-old retired optometrist who claimed she was at fault for crashing into him at a posh Utah ski resort in 2016. …

Actress Utah Ski Collision Trial Brings Doctors to Stand

Doctors are expected to testify this week in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired Utah man suing her and claiming her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage. On the opening …

Push to Require Clergy to Report Abuse Stalls in Mormon Utah

Lindsay Lundholm looked out over hundreds of people at the Utah State Capitol last year and felt a deep sense of healing. Abuse survivors, religious leaders and major party politicians were all gathered to rally for an end to a …

Family of Ugandan Awarded $10.5M for Utah Park Death

Family members of a Ugandan human rights activist killed in an accident at Arches National Park will get more than $10 million in damages, a federal judge ruled. Though the amount was substantially less than pursued, attorneys representing the family …

Trial Begins Over Death of Woman Killed in Utah Park

Ludovic Michaud was driving around the scenic red rock landscapes of Utah’s Arches National Park on a windy spring day in 2020 when something unthinkable happened: A metal gate whipped around, sliced through the passenger door of his car and …

Gabby Petito’s Family Files Wrongful Death Suit in Utah

CORRECTION: The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of the city spokesperson. It is Lisa Church, not Lisa Adams. This article has been corrected to reflect that change. Family members of a 22-year-old woman whose boyfriend admitted to killing her …

Family of Bullied Utah Girl Who Died by Suicide Files $14M Claim

The family of a Black fifth grader in Utah who died by suicide last year plans to file a $14 million lawsuit against her school, arguing that an inadequate response to reports of her being bullied over her race and …