University liable for dorm room break in

The Court of Claims today held that when a university dormitory door has a defect, it is liable for damages resulting from a break-in of that door.

In that case, a student at Ohio University ("OU") had his belongings stolen from his dorm room over Christmas break. A review by OU maintenance determined that the anti-pick device on the dormitory door was not installed properly.

Pointing to Chetsko v. Miami Univ., Ct. of Cl. No. 2007-03960-AD, 2007-Ohio-4395 and
Smith v. Miami Univ., Ct. of Cl. No. 2008-10501-AD, 2009-Ohio-2418, the Court of Claims held the university liable for the replacement costs of the stolen goods as well as the filing fee and court costs.