A former white student at Howard University's law school is suing the HBCU on allegations of racial discrimination.
According to Fox News, Michael Newman, who attended Howard School of Law starting in the fall of 2020 before he was expelled in September 2022, filed a lawsuit against the school seeking $2 million in damages for “pain, suffering, emotional anguish and damage to his reputation.”
In the suit, Newman alleges that he suffered “depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts” due to “public ostracism, vilification, and humiliation,” at the HBCU law school. The former Howard student claims that Global Head of Diversity Recruiting Reggie McGahee told him that he was the most hated among his peers, per the suit.
When Newman voiced his concerns regarding treatment by school administrators, the dean said white students at Howard Law haven't faced racial discrimination to any degree, according to the suit.
Frank Tramble, Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Howard University, declined to "substantively" comment on the suit due to ongoing litigation but said the HBCU “is prepared to vigorously defend itself in this lawsuit as the claims provide a one-sided and self-serving narrative of the events leading to the end of the student’s enrollment at the University.”
According to the suit, Newman was embroiled in a series of controversies during his tenure at the university that led to his expulsion.
Following a symposium featuring a Black speaker ahead of the 2020 election, Neman said he posted on a professor's forum page asking for further discussion on “whether: (1) black voters didn’t question turning to government for solutions, and (2) reliably voting for the same party every election disincentivized both parties from responding to the needs of the black communities.”
A number of students reported Newman's post to school administrators which led to his removal from a group chat for the class, according to the suit.
Students also discovered a post on Newman's private Twitter account that featured a picture of a slave with scars on his back captioned “But we don’t know what he did before the picture was taken,” the lawsuit states.
Newman says the tweet was intended to mock those who “attempt to explain away videos of police brutality by claiming the victim must have committed wrongdoing before the video started.” But in response, students allegedly harassed him on the basis of his race, gender, sexual preference, age, and personal appearance, with some calling him "mayo king" and "white panther."
The former student said he attempted to apologize and remedy the situation by sending out a four-part letter explaining his views, but the note was deemed a "manifesto."
During a digital town hall meeting called to discuss the incidents, School of Law Dean Danielle Holley said Newman's letter was “disturbing in every sense of the word,” per the suit. Holley and Newman filed simultaneous complaints against each other, with the dean accusing Newman of “continual harassment of member [sic] of the Howard Law community, and disturbance of the learning environment at the School of Law" and the white student claiming she perpetuated “threats,” “discrimination” and a “hostile academic environment.”
After reviewing Holley's complaint, the school ruled that Newman should be expelled.
His lawyers will try to prove that the School of Law broke contract with Newman after accusations led to multiple review hearings and ultimately his expulsion, per the suit.
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