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Michael Newman, a former Caucasian student at Howard University, has reportedly sued the institution over alleged racial discrimination. He said that he suffered “pain, suffering, emotional anguish, and damage to his reputation” during his time at the university.
The suit alleged that Newman suffered “depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts” due to “public ostracism, vilification, and humiliation.” It also accused the university staff and faculty of “retaliation, disparate treatment, defamation, and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
According to The New York Post, the lawsuit accused the University of breaching its contract with Michael Newman. It stated that the University did so by expelling Newman from the institution in September 2022 despite giving him an initial scholarship of $26,250.00 per year for three years.
The lawsuit sparked immediate backlash on social media, with an Instagram user saying that some individuals only want to present themselves as the “oppressed."
Michael Newman has reportedly named other defendants in his legal complaint, including Howard University Law School Dean Danielle R. Holley, Howard University President Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, and multiple administrators. He is seeking $2 million in monetary damages.
A closer look into Michael Newman’s lawsuit against Howard University
Caucasian student Michael Newman recently filed a lawsuit against the historic Howard University for alleged racial discrimination. As per BET, his lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and read:
“Faculty and administrators fomented racial animosity toward Newman by endorsing some classmates’ views that his comments on matters of public concern or advocacy for political and social changes were insensitive, offensive, or racist, and by endorsing the view that classmates’ derogatory comments regarding Caucasians and derogatory epithets were acceptable.”
As per parts of the legal complaint obtained by The Hill, Newman allegedly became a target of criticism after commenting on how his thoughts differ from “the Black community.”
In a group chat with other students, Newman said that African-American people “believe government solves problems, I only see it causing problems.”
The suit claims that Michael Newman made some other remarks in class settings that some other students opposed and allegedly “conspired to seek his expulsion.”
It also mentioned that a Howard University administrator allegedly told the former that he had become “the most hated student” he had seen in his time at the school.
The situation complicated further after a classmate found Newman’s private Twitter account and reposted a tweet that included a photo of a slave with scars on his back, with a caption that read:
“But we don’t know what he did before the picture was taken!”
Michael Newman later argued that he allegedly made the comment ironically:
“In response to Americans who attempt to explain away videos of police brutality by claiming that the victim must have committed wrongdoing before the video started that justified the violence.”
He went on to claim that other students allegedly responded to the tweet by making references to his race, gender, s*xual preference, age, and personal appearance.
In the legal complaint, Newman also shared some of the alleged difficulties he faced when the university shifted to remote during COVID, and students communicated through purely online forums and GroupMe chats.
According to The New York Post, Michael Newman said that after a symposium featuring an African American speaker in the run-up to the 2020 election, he shared a post on a professor’s forum page asking if future discussions could be organized 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.”
Newman claimed some students left negative responses to his post, prompting school administrators to remove him from one of his class group chats. He alleged that he felt “utterly disenfranchised” at the school and compared himself to an African-American student in a primarily Caucasian university.
The lawsuit further mentioned that Michael Newman repeatedly apologized for offending anyone at the university. It also said that he wanted to “learn, not just law, but to learn the thoughts and experiences of people of color.”
However, he alleged that he continued to face more discrimination, and people allegedly started addressing him as “mayo king” and “white panther.” Newman alleged that some students had even claimed that the “controversies” surrounding Newman had caused “severe stress” and “distracted them from their studies.”
The court documents noted that Newman also attempted to explain his views by releasing a four-part letter, but his effort was allegedly dubbed a “manifesto.” It mentioned that one student also accused him of “manipulating [classmates’] emotions as a social experiment” and claimed that the letter prompted his removal from a second group chat.
The New York Post noted that the suit also mentioned that Howard University Law School Dean Danielle Holley denied that Caucasian students, including Newman, faced any racial discrimination after the latter shared concerns about his treatment with school administrators.
As per the allegations, Dean Danielle Holley allegedly recorded a secret Zoom meeting with Newman and McGahee, where she accused the student of racially harassing classmates and suggested he transfer to another school.
Officials reportedly organized a digital town hall to discuss the controversies involving Newman and had nearly 300 attendees, per the suit.
During the meeting, Holley allegedly defined Newman’s letters as “disturbing in every sense of the word” and allegedly blocked him from using any functions to try to speak in his defense, including disabling the chat function and turning off his camera.
Both Danielle Holley and Michael Newman filed simultaneous complaints following the situation.
The former allegedly accused Newman “continual harassment of member [sic] of the Howard Law community, and disturbance of the learning environment at the School of Law” while that latter claimed Holley had perpetuated “threats,” “discrimination” and a “hostile academic environment.”
A panel reviewing Holley’s complaint dubbed Newman “responsible” and ruled that he should be expelled from the university. According to Newman’s lawsuit his complaint was never adjudicated.
The student also claimed that he appealed the ruling, but a second review panel issued a similar verdict despite the revelation that Holley allegedly provided “secret evidence” to the first panel.
Netizens react to Michael Newman’s lawsuit against Howard University
Former Howard University law student Michael Newman recently made news after filing a $2M lawsuit against the institute, claiming that he faced alleged “racial discrimination” as a Caucasian individual in a historically African-American college.
As the news went viral online, netizens took to social media to share their reaction to the lawsuit.
Frank Tramble, vice president and chief communications officer for Howard University, told BET that the university is prepared to “vigorously defend itself” against Michael Newman’s lawsuit:
"The University 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. Mr. Newman came to Howard having had a career outside of law and was granted a University scholarship”
He continued:
"Mr. Newman then displayed a pattern of antagonizing actions against other students in the law school. This includes Mr. Newman using the untimely death of a fellow law student to further his views on COVID-19 and the vaccines,. After following the University's disciplinary policies, Mr. Newman was expelled for disruptive and harassing conduct."
Meanwhile, Newman’s lawyers said they will try to prove the school broke its contract with Newman by expelling him despite the latter having his scholarship.
