Baylor University sued after student slips and falls in February 2021 ice storm

WACO, TX (KWTX) – Baylor University has reached a settlement with a former student who sued the school after she slipped and fell during the February 2021 ice storm.

Aaron Ali, a junior history major from Grand Prairie, was seeking at least $200,000 in his lawsuit.

Judge Vicki Menard of Waco’s 414th District Court granted Baylor’s request to dismiss the lawsuit in July.

Ali and his attorneys, Manuel C. Maltos and Diego J. Levy, of San Antonio, appealed Menard’s sentence to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Waco.

The Waco Court of Appeals issued an opinion this week approving the parties’ joint motion to dismiss, saying “the matter has been amicably resolved.”

Baylor officials declined to comment on the settlement Friday, while neither Maltos nor Levy returned phone messages.

Ali alleges in her lawsuit that she was walking on the campus sidewalk on her way to the Penland Crossroads Cafe on Feb. 15, 2021, when she slipped and fell on the icy pavement, injuring her right leg.

“The university was aware of the hazardous conditions created by the severe weather,” the lawsuit states. “A notification was sent via email and classes were cancelled. However, the University of Pennsylvania’s Crossroads Cafe remained open and the road leading to it remained open for use. Just after Mr. Ali’s accident, another alert went off warning students to take extra care when walking around campus. The injury occurred due to negligence of the university.”

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