Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the University of South Florida.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa,alleges that the university has violated the group’s equal access to education, as well as their constitutional rights to free speech, assembly and due process.
The university has targeted the organization and its members with extreme prejudice, according to the lawsuit.
Following the group’s pro-Palestinian protests last year, the university expelled and suspended a handful of students.More than 10 students were arrested, too. The group itself, which was previously a registered student organization at the university, was expelled.
The organization, including three individual plaintiffs, is suing President Rhea Law, Assistant Dean Melissa Graham, Dean of Students Danielle McDonald and the university’s board of trustees.
They are suing under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution, said Saba Indawala, a student who faced disciplinary charges due to her involvement with the group. She said they are also suing under Florida statute and the Florida Free Expression on Campus Act, which states they can’t be discriminated against based on the content of their speech.
The lawsuit alleges that the university conspired to violate the group’s rights by suppressing their speech and stigmatizing them. The university unfairly punished them for their conduct due to their activity in support of Palestinians and in defense of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the lawsuit says.
According to the lawsuit, the university published defamatory materials about the organization, created arbitrary policies immediately after the pro-Palestine demonstrations, encouraged university law enforcement to use excessive force, and increased surveillance in public spaces as a targeted response to a planned pro-Palestinian demonstration.
Last October,many organization members submitted Equal Opportunity report forms to the university and received no responses, Indawala said. The organization also filed a Title VI complaint against the university, which also went unanswered, she said.
“In July, our lawyers attempted to get in touch with USF lawyers so they could address and remedy this illegal treatment of our organization and our members and avoid getting sued in federal court,” Indawala said. “But USF has completely ignored our attempts and refused to even discuss the case with us.”
The lawsuit also claims that USF extended resources to pro-Israel groups, students and community members at the same time it was targeting pro-Palestinian students.
USF spokesperson Ryan Hughes said in a statement that Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society student was expelled by USF in 2024 after multiple and repeated violations of the university’s student code of conduct.
“USF values free speech and the right of individuals and groups to express themselves,” he wrote. “However, such activity must follow university policies and state and federal laws, and there are consequences for those who fail to comply. USF stands by the sanctions imposed on SDS and we will defend ourselves against these meritless claims through the legal process.”
Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society are seeking monetary and injunctive damages, and that it be reinstated as a campus organization.
The university and other individual defendants must respond to the complaint within 21 days.