A white student attending historically black Howard University’s law school has filed a lawsuit against the institution for racial discrimination, alleging the school created a “hostile education environment.”

In the autumn term of 2020, Michael Newman began his studies at Howard University School of Law and stayed there for a brief two-year period before being expelled in September 2022. Now, he is pursuing legal action for $2 million, claiming compensation for “pain, suffering, emotional anguish and damage to his reputation.”

A report from the New York Post noted that Frank Tramble, vice president and Chief Communications Officer for Howard University, said that while he could not comment “substantively” because of the pending case, 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.”

Newman suffered “depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts” as a result of “public ostracism, vilification and humiliation,” the suit claims. Global Head of Diversity Recruiting Reggie McGahee allegedly told Newman at one point that he had become the most hated student the recruiter had seen during his career at the university, the suit states.

According to reports, when Newman brought up his treatment to school administrators, the dean of the law school allegedly dismissed Newman’s concerns by denying that Caucasian students, including Newman himself, experienced any form of racial discrimination at Howard Law.

As per the lawsuit, after discussions surrounding Newman’s alleged racial insensitivity, students discovered a tweet on Newman’s private Twitter account that showed an image of a slave with severe scars on his back, accompanied by the caption “But we don’t know what he did before the picture was taken.”

Newman reportedly asserted that the tweet was intended to satirize individuals who “attempt to explain away videos of police brutality by claiming the victim must have committed wrongdoing before the video started.”  Students allegedly responded by making derogatory comments regarding Newman’s race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical appearance, The Post reported, adding:

The trouble started when the university shifted to remote learning at the start of the pandemic, meaning students communicated through purely online forums and through GroupMe chats, Newman claimed in court papers.

After a symposium featuring an African-American speaker in the run-up to the 2020 election, Newman said he posted on a professor’s forum page asking if further dialogue could be had 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.”

Some students responded negatively to Newman’s post and reached out to school administrators, prompting Newman’s removal from one of his group chats for the class, according to the allegations.

According to his account, Newman expressed feeling “utterly disenfranchised” at the school and drew a comparison to a black student at a predominantly white university. However, the response from students was largely critical, with some individuals finding his remark “offensive,” as per Newman’s allegations.

The lawsuit claimed that despite repeatedly apologizing for any offense caused, Newman was met with blatant animosity. He stressed that he was seeking to broaden his knowledge and understand the perspectives and experiences of people of color, not just the study of law.

Nevertheless, students allegedly began to address him by derogatory nicknames such as “mayo king” (presumably a reference to his race) and “white panther.” Additionally, they reportedly attributed “controversies” that they believed Newman was responsible for to have caused “severe stress” and distracted them from their studies, The Post added.

According to the lawsuit, Newman attempted to resolve the situation by issuing a four-part letter outlining his perspective. However, his efforts were deemed a “manifesto” by some, with one student accusing him of manipulating the emotions of his classmates as a form of social experiment.

As a consequence of the letters, Newman was allegedly expelled from a second group chat that was shared among his classmates, the report said, adding that a subsequent panel review conducted by university officials recommended Newman be expelled.

“Newman’s lawyers will try to prove the school broke its contract with Newman, a student who attended on a scholarship, after a series of incidents and accusations led to multiple review panels and hearings that resulted in his expulsion, according to the lawsuit,” The Post said.