Katie Autry, 18, died three days after the May attack. Two men from Scottsville, Ky., near the school in Bowling Green, have been charged with murder and other charges.
Autry's aunt, Virginia White, said the suit is intended to ``ensure that another young lady never has to suffer like Katie did.''
Western Kentucky said in a statement that it was confident ``neither its staff nor its policies played a role in this tragic event.''
The lawsuit also names as defendants the WKU Student Life Foundation, which owns the residence halls, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, and five individuals who helped run the hall.
The men accused of attacking Autry, Lucas B. Goodrum and Stephen B. Soules, were not named in the suit.
Autry and the two suspects are believed to have attended a party at the fraternity hours before the attack. Ben Crocker, an attorney for Autry's family, said there were lax controls about who attended and that alcohol was served.
The fraternity's president, Justin Perkins, declined comment on the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensation for medical and funeral expenses, lost earnings and pain and suffering.
Crocker said he had information indicating the dorm's outside doors were not locked the night Autry was attacked. Crocker said he believed that her assailants did not leave identification cards at the front desk and were allowed to go to her room without an escort.
The university said that an independent campus safety task force reported that proper security policies were in place at the time Autry was attacked.
