Wrongful Death Lawsuit against Florida Atlantic University Reaches Settlement

Florida Atlantic University has reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit concerning a woman who was fatally shot.

The lawsuit, filed by Sandi Cooper, the mother of the late Sherri Carter, alleged that the university was negligent in hiring FAU police officer Jimmy Dac Ho, who had a history of violence.

Ho met Carter online while she was working as an escort. Ho handcuffed Carter, shot her twice and left her to die after an altercation at her apartment. She died at the hospital four days later.

University spokeswoman Lisa Metcalf said that the university’s decision to settle the lawsuit was not an admission of guilt.

Michael Bernstein, Cooper’s attorney, said that he and his client were hoping the suit would make the university be more careful in their hiring process.

“It’s never over for Mrs. Cooper. She has to go on without her daughter, which is a difficult thing,” he said. “I can only hope that this at least brought to the attention of the current administration the need for some stricter guidelines when it comes to hiring police officers.”