Specifically, a Massachusetts state court raised the possibility that since administrators knew about Elizabeth Shin's previous suicide attempt, they might have had a "special relationship" with her that entailed a legal "duty of care." The settlement of the suit last month offered little clarity—the school and family agreed that the death was probably not a suicide at all, but an accident. Colleges are also worried by a preliminary ruling by a federal district court in Virginia in the 2002 case Schieszler v. Ferrum College, which indicated that college administrators might be liable for a student's death if they knew of a previous suicide threat or attempt. That case was settled in 2003.