A federal judge dismissed one count in Yasmeen Elagha’s (Pritzker ’24) civil rights lawsuit against three Pritzker School of Law deans Tuesday, allowing another count to proceed.
A practicing attorney at the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago, Elagha filed suit against Pritzker Dean Hari Osofsky, Associate Dean and Dean of Students Susan Spies Roth, and Associate Dean George Langford II in Cook County Circuit Court in November. The case was moved to federal court that same month.
In the lawsuit, Elagha alleges she was harassed at several pro-Palestinian protests in 2023. She alleges Northwestern treated her harassment complaints differently based on her racial and ethnic background, and that the University demonstrated indifference to her claims of a hostile educational environment.
The deans motioned to dismiss the case in February, alleging that Elagha failed to state a legal claim. Specifically, the defendants argued that Elagha claimed discrimination not on the grounds of her “race, color or national origin,” but on her political beliefs, which would not fall under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. They also alleged that the University was not indifferent to Elagha’s complaints.
U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras dismissed Elagha’s hostile educational environment claim Tuesday, finding she did not prove intentional indifference on NU’s part. However, Kocoras allowed Elagha’s intentional discrimination claim to proceed, citing Elagha’s allegation that NU treated her claims differently than claims from students of other racial and ethnic backgrounds.
In her amended complaint, filed in February, Elagha alleged that fellow Pritzker students recorded and harassed her during pro-Palestinian protests she attended, and that a law firm rescinded her job offer after a fellow student falsely claimed Elagha assaulted her at a protest. Despite being cleared of the assault allegation by NU’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, according to the complaint, Elagha claims the University failed to protect her from discrimination.
A University spokesperson told The Daily the University cannot comment on pending litigation. Elagha did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The court will now consider only Elagha’s intentional discrimination claim. No future hearings on the case have been scheduled yet.
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