A class action lawsuit brought against USC was dismissed on March 5 after plaintiffs failed to respond to motions to dismiss or strike “class allegations.” The lawsuit was brought by a Jewish USC professor and student, alleging that some Jewish faculty members and students feared physical harm if they walked through the on-campus pro-Palestinian encampments and protests during the spring 2024 semester.
U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha dismissed all allegations against USC.
“The allegations are insufficient to support such a theory because they do not demonstrate [USC] ‘gave substantial assistance or encouragement’ to the protestors,” the decision to dismiss the assault claim stated.
USC’s representation argued the plaintiffs provided no evidence to meet “class certification” status. This means that the plaintiffs could not prove they were representing a larger group, or that they were the best representation of that group.
“Such a class would include countless individuals with no possible claim, including Jewish faculty and students who were not present on campus during the protests, who were not harmed by the protests, and, importantly, who supported or chose to participate in the protests,” the court docket reads.
USC’s representation at Jones Day law firm and the plaintiff’s representation at the Law Offices of Michael Reznick APC could not be reached for comment on short notice.
The unnamed professor sued the university in an “‘individual capacity as a Jewish USC Professor who suffered damages and harm as a result of [USC]’s conduct and as a representative on behalf of all other similarly situated Jewish Professors,’” according to the motion to dismiss.
The plaintiffs alleged nine causes: negligence, breach of contract, assault, battery, declaratory relief, injunctive relief and violations of the Bane Act, Unruh Act and Ralph Act, laws governing discriminatory violence.
The unnamed student also sued “individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated.” She alleged that she and other Jewish students “were so fearful of their lives and safety that they could not appear in [USC]’s ‘town square’ or anywhere else on campus without being verbally or physically assaulted.”
The student was described as “a [Jewish] hybrid physical therapy student at USC’s health sciences campus” who “doesn’t travel to campus very often,” according to USC’s reply in support of the motion to dismiss.
Both also alleged that the university “subsequently appeased and negotiated with” pro-Palestinian protestors whom they labeled “Jew-hating Hamas-supporting campus terrorists [and] antisemites,” according to the docket.
The docket also outlines allegations that protestors were “sword and other weapon-wielding.”
Annenberg Media could not validate allegations of weapons on campus at the time of the encampment.
The encampment was spearheaded by USC Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation (SCALE), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP). USC’s administration authorized the Los Angeles Police Department’s mobilization within the first 12 hours of the encampment on April 24. The campus was cleared and at least 93 people were arrested by 9 p.m. on the first day of the protest.
This is a developing story.