A long Page 1 article in today’s Wall Street Journal traces the case of Charles Mahoney IV, who killed himself at Allegheny College in 2002 and whose parents then sued the Pennsylvania college on the grounds that it was negligent in not informing them of their son’s suicidal condition, and in not preventing his death despite indications that he might harm himself. The case, which ended last summer with a jury verdict clearing Allegheny, was closely watched in academe because the parents contended that Allegheny should have told them of Mr. Mahoney’s deteriorating mental health, even if that meant violating a 1974 federal student-privacy law.

Colleges feared that a verdict against Allegheny would have expanded their legal liability in suicide cases, and exposed them to more breach-of-privacy lawsuits as well. Such a ruling, following similar cases at MIT and Ferrum College, would also have placed added burdens on campus counseling centers. To guard against such liability, in fact, some colleges have dismissed students suspected of being suicidal.

In the end, the Pennsylvania jury found that Allegheny had acted properly and that, as an adult, Mr. Mahoney alone was responsible for his death. —Andrew Mytelka