NY judge dismisses lawsuit against Columbia by former professor who said he was 'with Hamas'
A New York judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Columbia University visiting professor Mohamed Abdou against the university and its former president, Minouche Shafik, over comments she made about him during congressional testimony.Kathleen Waterman-Marshall, a New York State Supreme Court justice, dismissed the case on Aug. 13, finding that Abdou’s complaint failed to establish a defamation claim. The lawsuit, filed in August 2024, also alleged discrimination and a hostile work environment.Abdou sued after Shafik testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in April 2024 about antisemitism at Columbia. During questioning by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Shafik was asked about Abdou, who had posted on social media days after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel that he was “with Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.”“I share with you your repugnance at those remarks,” Shafik told Stefanik, adding that faculty members whose remarks crossed…
A New York State Supreme Court justice dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Columbia University visiting professor Mohamed Abdou against the university and its former president, Minouche Shafik. Abdou sued after Shafik testified before Congress in April 2024 regarding antisemitism at Columbia, where she stated Abdou “will never teach at Columbia again” following his social media posts declaring he was “with Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad” after the October 7 attacks. The judge ruled on August 13 that Shafik’s comments were protected opinions and did not constitute defamation, noting Abdou’s complaint failed to show she called him antisemitic and that her statements were based on his undisputed social media posts.
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