Williams v. Utica College of Syracuse University

In October 1999, Hollie Williams (plaintiff) and her roommate were assaulted at gunpoint by a masked man in their dorm room at Utica College (defendant). The attacker bound them and was never identified. Williams sued Utica for negligence, claiming it failed to protect residents from intruders. Utica moved for summary judgment, arguing Williams could not show any negligence caused her injury because she could not show the attacker was an intruder rather than a resident. The district court granted summary judgment, and Williams appealed.

Whether a negligence plaintiff bringing a premises-security claim must show that the defendant's negligence caused her harm by establishing that her attacker was an intruder.