Palestinian Law Grad Advances Bias Case Against Northwestern (1)

A Palestinian attorney who lost her job with DLA Piper following press reports about her role in student protests at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is moving forward with a claim that the school failed to take appropriate action when she faced harassment.

Judge Charles P. Kocoras of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois rejected Northwestern’s plea to dismiss Yasmeen Elagha’s claim that the school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by allowing her to be subjected to intentional discrimination after November 2023 pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. The lawsuit claims that the university failed to adequately protect Elagha from what she describes as a false allegation of assault by a fellow student, which ultimately led to the loss of her law firm job the following summer.

While Elagha’s lawsuit doesn’t allege any blatant discriminatory behavior by university officials, her assertion that she made multiple complaints of harassment that were ignored is enough to support a claim against the school, Kocoras held in a Tuesday opinion.

Elagha, described in the opinion as “very active in Pro-Palestinian, anti-war causes and organizations on campus,” had received an offer to become an associate with DLA’s Fall 2024 class. That offer was dropped in July 2024, two months after several media outlets reported on allegations that Elagha had berated fellow students for taking photographs of the demonstration and was accused of pushing another student, according to the court record.

The lawsuit identifies several actions that Northwestern failed to take, even after an investigation by the school’s Office of Civil Rights found no evidence of physical contact between Elagha and the accusing student, who Elagha says later recanted her assault claim. For example, despite requests from Elagha and other students to school administrators to issue a statement to promote civility on campus, and to hold students accountable for doxing and harassment, “no concrete actions” were taken to address the threats, according to her complaint.

Northwestern did succeed in its bid to throw out a hostile educational environment claim, which was dismissed without prejudice. Elagha’s allegations of harassment, while troubling, don’t satisfy the “severe and pervasive” element of her claim, the judge said. She also doesn’t adequately allege that she was deprived of educational benefits while the harassment took place, Kocoras said.

The ruling came the same day Northwestern University confirmed that it is facing an investigation by the US Department of Health and Human Services for alleged civil rights violations against Jewish students.

HHS said Tuesday that it was investigating a “prestigious Midwest university” to determine whether it complied with Title VI following an advocacy group’s complaint. Although the statement withheld the name of the school, a Northwestern spokesman confirmed to Bloomberg News that the university is reviewing the HHS matter.

Attorneys for Elagha and the defendants didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. A DLA Piper spokeswoman also didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about its employment offer to Elagha.

Naser Immigration Law LLC and Advanta Law PLC represent Elagha. Saul Ewing LLP represents the defendants.

The case is Elagha v. Northwestern Univ., 2025 BL 163140, N.D. Ill., No. 1:24-cv-12066, opinion 5/13/25.