A former white student of the Howard University School of Law has filed suit against the HBCU institution, alleging racial discrimination and the fostering of a "hostile education environment."
Michael Newman started at the school in the 2020 fall semester and lasted a little over two years prior to his expulsion in September 2022, according to a report citing the lawsuit.
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Newman alleges he endured "pain, suffering, emotional anguish and damage to his reputation" and is seeking $2 million in damages, the report noted.
He was told by Global Head of Diversity Recruiting Reggie McGahee that he was the most hated student at the university, and he fell victim to "depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts" as a result of "public ostracism, vilification and humiliation," according to the lawsuit.
The former student alerted school officials of the treatment he was subjected to, but the administration of the law school rejected the notion that white students, Newman included, were faced with any measure of racial discrimination, the suit alleged.
Following Newman's supposed racially insensitive treatment, a tweet from his private Twitter account came to light displaying a slave with scars on his back.
"But we don’t know what he did before the picture was taken," the post read, per the report.
The tweet was an "attempt to explain away videos of police brutality by claiming the victim must have committed wrongdoing before the video started," Newman said, before alleging that, following the post, students were quick to make comments about his gender, race, age, appearance, and sexual preferences.
Things got worse when the school transitioned to remote learning at the beginning of the pandemic, Newman claimed.
When he asked a question in a professor's forum regarding "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" in the lead-up to the 2020 election, students attacked him, he said.
They reacted negatively to his post and requested that administrators take action, which ultimately saw him be removed from at least one class group chat, Newman said.
The former student said he felt "utterly disenfranchised" and maintained that he apologized to anyone who felt offended by his previous actions.
He wanted to "learn, not just law, but to learn the thoughts and experiences of people of color," the lawsuit read.
Despite his apology, the former student alleged he continued to face hostility.
He was called "mayo king," "white panther," and students were stating that Newman's comments were causing "severe stress" and was distracting them from their studies, he claimed.
Newman then released a four-part letter explaining his views, which was soon marked as a "manifesto" that was "manipulating [classmates'] emotions ... as a social experiment," according to the lawsuit.
Following the student outcry, Newman found himself removed from a second group chat, the report noted.
School of Law Dean Danielle Holley then discreetly recorded a Zoom she had with Newman and McGahee where Newman was accused of wanting to transfer and of racially harassing fellow students, the allegations stated.
Newman's letters were characterized by Holley during a virtual town hall as "disturbing in every sense of the word," according to the lawsuit.
Newman was also blocked from making any public defense of himself, he said.
Holley and Newman then filed simultaneous complaints, and a review panel found the former student "responsible" for "continual harassment of member [sic] of the Howard Law community, and disturbance of the learning environment at the School of Law."
The report also stated that the panel argued he should be expelled.
Newman alleged that his complaint was never adjudicated, and he filed an appeal with a second review panel, which failed, he said.
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The lawsuit was filed in federal court, and Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Howard University Frank Tramble said the HBCU institution is prepared to fight the allegations.
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," Tramble said.