Overview
- U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns tossed Yoav Segev’s case on Thursday, finding the filings did not show he experienced legally actionable harassment.
- Segev sued over Harvard’s response to an Oct. 18, 2023 die-in at the business school, where protesters surrounded and jostled him as he filmed the demonstration.
- The court said the complaint did not plausibly show race-based antisemitic motive, rejecting reliance on slogans like “from the river to the sea” or Segev’s pro-Israel bracelet as proof of bias.
- Claims that Harvard and the Harvard University Police Department conspired to violate Segev’s rights were dismissed for lack of plausible facts showing a conspiracy or state action.
- The dismissal was without prejudice, and the ruling arrives as Harvard has fended off or settled other Title VI-related cases, with this decision directly addressing whether the protest conduct met the legal bar for antisemitic discrimination.