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<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"> <font
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<h1 class="reader-title">Victory! Lawsuit Against SFSU and
Abdulhadi Dismissed</h1>
<div class="credits reader-credits">October 30, 2018</div>
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<h2>Federal Judge Permanently Throws Out Lawfare Project’s
Case Against Professor Rabab Abdulhadi and San Francisco
State University </h2>
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<p>San Francisco – Yesterday, a federal judge dismissed
a lawsuit against Professor Rabab Abdulhadi and San
Francisco State University (SFSU) that had sought to
compel the university to restrict the speech of
students and faculty who support Palestinian freedom.</p>
<p>The case, <em>Mandel v. Board of Trustees</em>, was
first filed in June 2017 by the Lawfare Project, a
right-wing anti-Palestinian organization with an
explicit plan to “inflict massive punishments” against
critics of Israel. Having dismissed an earlier version
of the lawsuit in March 2018, Judge William Orrick III
this time dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning
the lawsuit cannot be filed again.</p>
<p>“The unfounded and malicious nature of this bogus
suit against Dr. Abdulhadi is now clear for all to
see. This has disrupted nearly two years of her life
and her work for justice in Palestine, which is the
purpose of 'lawfare,’” explained Abdulhadi’s attorney,
Mark Kleiman.</p>
<p>“This ruling vindicates Dr. Abdulhadi from the
anti-Palestinian smear campaigns that she has been
forced to endure,” noted Abdulhadi’s attorney, Ben
Gharagozli.</p>
<p>The lawsuit is part of a years-long campaign of
harassment against campus activists and Abdulhadi, an
outspoken scholar and advocate for justice in and for
Palestine. The Lawfare Project had three chances, and
a team of corporate lawyers, but could not allege a
successful claim.</p>
<p>Judge Orrick repeatedly emphasized that the Lawfare
Project’s complaint is “devoid” of facts alleging
discrimination. He wrote, “Absolutely no facts have
been alleged to support their mere assertion of
differential treatment.”</p>
<p>"The white supremacist murder of Jewish elders in a
synagogue this past weekend is a brutal reminder that
anti-Jewish bigotry is real and that we need to fight
all forms of racism together, said Liz Jackson,
attorney with Palestine Legal. "Judge Orrick was right
to reject Lawfare’s attempt to equate calls for
justice with discrimination. Instead of trying to
censor campus activism for human rights, we hope these
groups will call for an end to all forms of
discrimination and equality for all people."</p>
<p>Abdulhadi is represented by Mark Kleiman, Ben
Gharagozli and Gavin Cunningham & Hunter. SFSU is
represented by Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. For
more background, see Palestine Legal’s <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/case-studies/2017/11/3/years-long-suppression-campaign-sfsu"
target="_blank">case summary</a>. </p>
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