#marc kasowitz

[beardedmrbean]

(Reuters) -Harvard University will provide additional protections for Jewish students under a settlement announced on Tuesday that resolves two lawsuits accusing the Ivy League school of becoming a hotbed of rampant antisemitism.

Harvard said it will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, including specific examples of discrimination and harassment, when evaluating whether conduct violates its non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies.

The university will also address Frequently Asked Questions about its policies online, report annually for five years on its enforcement efforts, and provide training on combating antisemitism to staff who review discrimination complaints.

Harvard's settlement resolves a lawsuit by Students Against Antisemitism, and a lawsuit by Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education and the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.

Both lawsuits were among many accusing major universities of encouraging antisemitism after war broke out between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, leading to several months of pro-Palestinian protests on American college campuses.

Marc Kasowitz, a lawyer for Students Against Antisemitism, in an interview said he had "great confidence" that Harvard was committed to protecting its Jewish students, including those targeted simply for supporting Israel.

"Statements about destroying the state of Israel, murdering Israelis, and that sort of thing are antisemitic statements," he said. "That gives us confidence that these measures are going to be very, very protective of the interests and rights of Jewish students on the Harvard campus."

HARVARD PLEDGES A 'WELCOMING' CAMPUS

Jewish students accused Harvard of selectively enforcing its anti-discrimination policies, including by tolerating their being maligned as "murderers" and subjected to a viral "die-in" where attendees accused Israel of war crimes.

They also accused Harvard of hiring professors who promoted anti-Jewish violence and spread antisemitic propaganda.

Last June, Harvard task forces on antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias each found a Cambridge, Massachusetts campus beset by discrimination and harassment, including toward people with pro-Palestinian as well as pro-Israel views.

Both lawsuits accused Harvard of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars federal funds recipients from allowing discrimination based on race, religion and national origin.

The FAQ includes a statement recognizing that many Jews consider Zionism part of their identity, and that discrimination or harassment targeting Jewish and Israeli people can also violate Harvard's policy if directed toward Zionists.

"We are committed to ensuring our Jewish community is embraced, respected and can thrive at Harvard," a university spokesperson said in a statement.

"We are resolute in our efforts to confront antisemitism and will continue to implement robust steps to maintain a welcoming, open, and safe campus environment where every student feels a sense of belonging," the spokesperson added.

Both settlements include unspecified monetary terms. Harvard did not admit wrongdoing.

TRUMP'S IMPACT

Alexander Kestenbaum, a Harvard Divinity School student and plaintiff in the Students Against Antisemitism lawsuit, did not settle and will keep seeking compensatory damages. His new lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The settlement came after a federal judge in Boston refused to dismiss both lawsuits.

Kasowitz said President Donald Trump's statements about how his administration would protecting Jewish students' rights was "certainly helpful" in reaching the settlement.

Students Against Antisemitism settled similar litigation against New York University last July, and Kasowitz said the group was pleased that campus life for Jewish students there has "dramatically improved."

The group is still pursuing Title VI cases against Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. Those schools did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

[warningsine]

https://www.reuters.com/legal/harvard-must-face-lawsuit-over-antisemitism-campus-us-judge-says-2024-08-06/

Aug 6 (Reuters) - Harvard University must face a lawsuit by Jewish students who accused the Ivy League school of letting its campus become a bastion of rampant antisemitism, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston found plausible accusations that Harvard was deliberately indifferent toward Jewish and Israeli students who said they feared for their safety after facing severe and pervasive harassment.

The judge also said he was "dubious" that Harvard could claim that some of the pro-Palestinian or anti-Jewish activities was protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

"To conclude that the (complaint) has not plausibly alleged deliberate indifference would reward Harvard for virtuous public declarations that for the most part, according to the (complaint), proved hollow," Stearns wrote.

"The facts as pled show that Harvard failed its Jewish students," the judge added. He did not rule on the merits.

Students sought an injunction to stop Harvard's alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars federal funds recipients from allowing discrimination based on race, religion and national origin.

Harvard and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A lawyer for the students, Marc Kasowitz, said in an interview after the decision that Harvard's conduct necessitated changes sought in the lawsuit.

"Jewish students on campus were treated horrendously by other student groups, by administrators and by faculty who were very, very pro-Hamas and very, very antisemitic," he said.

MANY SCHOOLS ARE SUED

The lawsuit filed in January is one of many accusing major universities of allowing and encouraging antisemitism, including in on-campus pro-Palestinian protests, following last October's outbreak of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

It was filed eight days after the resignation of President Claudine Gay, who had been under fire for her handling of antisemitism, and for separate plagiarism allegations.

Students accused Harvard of selectively enforcing its anti-discrimination policies to avoid protecting Jewish students from harassment, ignoring their pleas for protection, and hiring professors who advocated anti-Jewish violence and spread antisemitic propaganda.

The students said they were maligned as "murderers" and "colonizers," and subjected to offensive chants such as "from the river to the sea."

They also objected to a Harvard Law Review editor being allowed to resume work as a teaching fellow after he assaulted a Jewish student at a pro-Palestinian "die-in."

Brown University and New York University settled similar cases last month.

Columbia University, meanwhile, agreed in June to provide safety escorts and take other steps to settle a lawsuit claiming its campus had become unsafe.

The school's main quad had housed a pro-Palestinian encampment that was dismantled following the April 30 arrest of dozens of protesters who took over a nearby academic building.

HARVARD TRIES ADDRESSING BIAS CONCERNS

In June, Harvard task forces on antisemitism, opens new tab and anti-Muslim bias, opens new tab each concluded that the campus was beset by discrimination and harassment, with reports of intolerance toward people with pro-Palestinian as well as pro-Israel views.

The antisemitism task force called for measures including anti-harassment training for students and for steps to ensure a "welcoming environment" for religiously observant Jewish students.

Meanwhile, the task force on anti-Muslim bias recommended measures including steps to prevent the "doxxing" of students who support the Palestinian people, and clarification of school policies toward bullying and bias.

In a message accompanying the reports, interim Harvard President Alan Garber urged the school community, opens new tab to "strengthen our ties with a sustained commitment to engaging each other with tact, decency, and compassion."

Harvard removed Garber's "interim" title on Aug. 2.

Stearns said the Harvard plaintiffs can also pursue two other claims: that Harvard breached a contractual obligation to enforce its non-discrimination policies, and treated students unfairly by failing to enforce those policies "evenhandedly."

[sjerzgirl]

A little older, but another look at the family of fraud.

[usnewsper-politics]

Trump's Legal Consequences: Transparency, Accountability, and the Future of Business and Politics #accountability #assetvalues #businessandpolitics #criminalliability #donaldtrump #ethicalstandards #financialreporting #futureleaders. #investigations #legalconsequences #legalstrategy #ManhattanDistrictAttorney #NewYorkStateAttorneyGeneral #postpresidencylegacy #ruleoflaw #transparency #trumporganization #TrumpOrganizationcontrol

[rebeleden]

Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. Were Investigated for Felony Fraud | Vanity Fair

[pennsyltuckyheathen]

Despite Presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan, and Obama being advised to comply with the 1967 anti-nepotism law, Trump brought on both Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner as "advisers".  Ivanka is accused of using her father’s position to influence business dealings with China.  Kushner is held up as not qualified for the duties assigned by Trump and responsible for part of the disastrous handling of the coronavirus.  Both may be dismissed as inconsequential however they wield significant influence with the #LyinKing. 

[thefederalistfreestyle]

Joseph Meli, accused of running a Hamilton pyramid scheme, has accepted a plea bargain that has the ticket broker pleading guilty to one count of securities fraud. Five other charges related to the pyramid scheme have been dismissed. The development comes just days after Meli's attorneys at Kasowitz Benson Torres — notable for its extensive connections with President Donald Trump — brought a motion to suppress evidence based on alleged government misconduct. According to the indictment from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York as well as a related lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Meli and colleagues approached investors with the opportunity to recoup their money plus a 10 percent return and an additional share of profits by reselling tickets to Hamilton, an Adele concert and other high-profile entertainment events. Meli allegedly held out the representation that he had an agreement with the producer of Hamilton to purchase tickets in bulk. Prosecutors not only said this representation was false, but also accused Meli and others — including popular sports radio personality Craig Carton — of diverting money for personal expenditures and gambling debts. At least $51 million from some 125 investors was allegedly diverted "to perpetuate a Ponzi scheme and to enrich themselves." [. . .] Last week, in a court document that is no longer under seal and obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Meli sought to suppress statements he claimed were elicited by a government confidential informant just a day before the Justice Department announced Meli's arrest and charges. "At issue are the Government’s tactics in its pre-indictment investigation of Mr. Meli on January 26, 2017," states the motion. "On that date, the Government directed its informant Mark Varacchi (the 'Confidential Witness' or the 'CW'), a longtime friend of Mr. Meli’s, to surreptitiously record Mr. Meli outside the presence of the legal counsel that Mr. Meli had retained in connection with the Government’s investigation. That day – over the phone, in-person, and via WhatsApp message — Mr. Meli insisted to the CW that he 'hired a [lawyer] named Marc Kasowitz,' that he 'can’t leave' his attorneys’ office, and that any conversation between the two of them happen at his 'attorneys’ office.' Despite Mr. Meli’s repeated protests, the Government knowingly sent the CW to bypass Mr. Meli’s attorneys, Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, and to lure Mr. Meli into isolation so that he could be questioned outside the presence of his counsel and without the benefit of legal advice." Kasowitz's name should be familiar. Once described by Bloomberg as "Trump's go-to lawyer," he was leading Trump's defense against Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian collusion during the last presidential election. Kasowitz no longer has that role, but still represents Trump in various ongoing matters, including a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Apprentice contestant. According to Meli, he met the confidential witness in a car parked directly in front of the offices of Kasowitz Benson Torres and after telling Varacchi that Kasowitz had been hired to represent him, Meli was asked about the fraud investigation. Meli says he gave an answer that prosecutors have pointed to as evidence of his guilt and flight risk. "This Court will be hard-pressed to find a more prototypical example of the misconduct Rule 4.2 [of the Rules of Professional Conduct] was designed to guard against," [Meli's attorney Daniel] Fetterman wrote last week in a brief to the judge. "Here, the Government manipulated Mr. Meli, a known represented person, into 'giving his case away' within a stone’s throw of his attorneys’ offices." [. . .]

Alleged 'Hamilton' Ponzi Schemer Gets Plea Deal After Accusing Government of Misconduct (The Hollywood Reporter)

[libamericaorg]

Two Trump Children Were About To Be Indicted In 2012 - One Giant Campaign Donation Ended That

Two Trump Children Were About To Be Indicted In 2012 – One Giant Campaign Donation Ended That

Back in the spring of 2012, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. were on the verge of being indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, which had been building a criminal case for misleading possible buyers of Trump’s SoHo hotel and condo. Sales on the condo were incredibly sluggish, and evidence used for a possible criminal indictment of fraud was based on emails that the two oldest Trump…

[funnyordie]

Marc Kasowitz already turned his embarrassing email scandal into a lucrative line of body wash.

[usnewsper-politics]

Trump's Legal Consequences: Transparency, Accountability, and the Future of Business and Politics #accountability #assetvalues #businessandpolitics #criminalliability #donaldtrump #ethicalstandards #financialreporting #futureleaders. #investigations #legalconsequences #legalstrategy #ManhattanDistrictAttorney #NewYorkStateAttorneyGeneral #postpresidencylegacy #ruleoflaw #transparency #trumporganization #TrumpOrganizationcontrol

[rebeleden]

Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. Were Close to Being Charged With Felony Fraud — ProPublica

[votenet-blog]

New records put Trump's interior chief under fresh scrutiny over casino row

New records put Trump’s interior chief under fresh scrutiny over casino row

Author: Emily Holden / Source: the Guardian

The new interior secretary, David Bernhardt, met with a lawyer for a Native American tribe that is linked to the political scandal haunting Bernhardt’s predecessor, according to internal agency records.

The meeting was disclosed in daily summary cardsreleased by the agency but had not been recorded in earlier calendars. It raises fresh questions about…

[libamericaorg]

Deranged Trump Lawyer Threatens Man Via Email: 'Watch Your Back, B*tch'

Deranged Trump Lawyer Threatens Man Via Email: ‘Watch Your Back, B*tch’

Marc Kasowitz is President Trump’s personal attorney for the Russia case and has represented him in various matters over the years, including the failed defense of the president in the Trump University lawsuit.

Kasowitz, it now appears, has one hell of a temper, much like his famous client.

A public relations executive who asked not to be identified read an article by ProPublicathis week…