MOSCOW, Idaho — Three students who were enrolled in the University of Idaho’s Law School are filing a lawsuit in relation to discriminatory acts and comments made by staff, professors and other students.
These students filed a lawsuit in Sept. 2023 which was amended in Dec. 2023. Within the lawsuit the students will be referenced as “Jane” Doe, “Kelly” Doe and “John” Doe after they express fear for their safety.
According to court documents, the University of Idaho and its law school claims to “welcome a diverse body of students and provide a safe learning environment for all races, ethnicities and sexual orientation.” The University receives federal funding and is required to adhere to nondiscrimination policies in their treatment of all students.
The plaintiffs say that they have not met these standards and have “systematically failed to honor their obligations.”
All three students are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, each has disabilities and two are persons of color.
Kelly and John attend school remotely which Jane transferred school altogether after they say that the University of Idaho contributed to creating an unsafe environment for them.
On the grounds of 13 different counts, the plaintiffs seek relief for the harm they went through at the university and want to ensure safety for other students attending the University.
Kelly Doe, who was a third year law student identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and is a person of color. In court documents, it states that she has been medically diagnosed with disabilities “correlated with and some result from the traumatic events and discriminatory experiences she endured while attending the University.”
Within her first two months in Moscow, she experienced repeated racist and homophobic behaviors from Law school staff, professors and students.
Kelley claims that this isolated her and affected her educational experience. She mentions that in one lecture a professor told that class that he might ‘accidentally stop and say the n-word during the lecture.’ Kelly quickly reported the professor to Dean Running who advised Kelly to not report the incident to OCRI.
After multiple incidents occurred that that professor, who went unpunished, she went to Dean Kalb and stated ‘It is hard enough being one of two Black people in the class of 2024, but the added ignorance and hatred we get from students and staff makes me feel even more like an outcast and like I should not even be here.’
Dean Kalb said that the school would act against this, but Kelly doesn’t believe that the University took any action to correct these race-based harassment actions.
Another plaintiff, John Doe is a Pacific-Islander and identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. He joined the University through a diversity program called Council on Legal Education Opportunity.
In the lawsuit, John shares that in Sept. 2021 he hosted a social mixer to meet law students in person since he attended University of Arizona virtually during the COVID pandemic.
John at the time had not told other students of his sexual orientation but a student who a member of Christian Legal Group (CLS) approached him and asked ‘what does it feel like to be a faggot?’
CLS is a Christian group that is known for discriminating against sexual orientation and gender identity.
After this incident, John and other LGBTQIA+ students experienced harassment from members of CLS, including that same student. John reported his behavior to the College of Law and OCRI.
Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, Jane and John were verbally harassed by CLS members regularly. They also harassed John based on his Hindi, Pacific Islander race and national origin.
The third plaintiff, Jane Doe is expected to graduate in May 2024 but has experienced race-based harassment from CLS members, other students and professors.
In the lawsuit, it states that on March 31 a professor sent an email stating that he would be attending the Moment of Community prayer circle as a CLS faculty advisor. Jane and Kelly did not intend on going but the majority of students present were not CLS members.
At the event, CLS students allegedly “hijacked” the event and forced Jane and Kelly into a prayer circle without their consent. Those students proceeded to make homophobic comments towards Jane and harass her.
They told them that “homosexuality is a sin” and that they are all “going to the guillotines of Hell… have no rights… are not welcome at the law school.”
According to the lawsuit, “University’s faculty members, professors and deans of the law school who attended… failed to take any action or make any attempt to stop CLS members from harassing Jane and other LGBTQIA+ students.”
On another occasion, Jane received a note while studying. In the lawsuit she revealed that she immediately felt unsafe and began to have a panic attack. She requested to leave campus since she felt targeted by CLS students.
Three CLS members were issued a no-contact order by the University, known as the “CLS lawsuit.” In response, they filed a lawsuit against the University in April 2022 claiming that they had violated their freedom of speech and religion.
Jane’s emails were released in the CLS lawsuit which immediately made her feel unsafe. She did not return to campus and finished the Spring 2022 semester remotely.
The University of Idaho faces 13 separate counts related to the race-based harassment and discrimination on campus between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years
The plaintiffs are requesting a trial by jury through the lawsuit and any further proceedings are ongoing at this time.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Check back for updates.
