The notice was filed on Sept. 9, nearly a year after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a Sept. 10, 2025, speaking event on UVU’s campus. A copy was shared with the Daily Herald by the law office representing the Kirk family.

Listed in the notice of claim are UVU, UVU police, the state of Utah, UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long, former UVU President Astrid Tuminez and other state actors.

The Kirk family said Kirk was a controversial figure the university chose to host during an environment of political danger. They allege UVU did not conduct a meaningful risk assessment before approving the outdoor event, and that UVU Police did not have a written security plan or hold a security briefing.

The notice alleges Long requested approval from Tuminez to allocate more than six officers to the event, which had approximately 3,000 attendees, but that such a request was denied. UVU also failed to ask for assistance from Orem or Provo police, the claim says.

“Placing a politically controversial figure like Charlie Kirk in an outdoor event in the quad surrounded by tall buildings and other elevated observation platforms is accurately described as walking him into a fishbowl,” the notice of claim said. “The UVU Parties could have declined to approve the Tour event in the outdoor quad location, or could have moved the venue indoors or to a more secure location, as it had done for controversial speakers in the past. Nevertheless, The UVU Parties approved the event to be held at an outdoor venue dramatically increasing security risks but did not dedicate resources necessary to address the enhanced risk this approval created.”

The Kirk family also alleges that Turning Point USA passed on a student concern about a risk associated with rooftop access at the venue to Long, who responded with a text that stated “I got you covered.”

They claim that this message led TPUSA to “reasonably conclude” that UVU had a plan to address risks without TPUSA involvement. 

“Chief Long’s text message did not invite or even allow TPUSA to take any steps to secure the risk of unsecured rooftops. Instead, Chief Long took responsibility to secure that risk,” the notice of claim said. “From this exchange, TPUSA and Mr. Kirk could have and did reasonably conclude that the UVU Parties were taking responsibility for risks outside of Mr. Kirk’s immediate security ‘bubble.'”

The Kirk family said UVU should have established a secure perimeter around the event and could have used metal detectors around campus or employed “common sense safety measures” used at on-campus sporting events. 

The notice also alleges that UVU did not monitor CCTV footage in real-time and did not have an ambulance on scene. 

“The UVU Parties’ failures shock the conscience–giving rise both to a state-created danger claim under the United States Constitution’s due process clause and a traditional wrongful death claim under Utah law,” the notice of claim said. 

In a statement to the Daily Herald Wednesday, a UVU spokesperson said the university is aware of the notice of claim. 

“UVU addresses legal matters consistent with our established processes,” the statement said. “Our focus remains on supporting our campus community.”