A federal judge in Michigan dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former University of Michigan diversity administrator who was fired in 2024 after an investigation concluded that she made antisemitic remarks, including that the university was “controlled by wealthy Jews.”
Rachel Dawson, the former director of the university’s Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, sued the university in July 2025, alleging that it discriminated against her because she is a black woman and retaliated against her after she raised concerns about racial and gender bias.
U.S. District Judge Shalina D. Kumar granted the university’s motion to dismiss on Tuesday, finding that Dawson failed to plausibly allege that her race or sex played a role in her termination.
“Unfortunately for Dawson, speakers—alleged or confirmed—of antisemitic remarks is not a protected class under Title VII,” Kumar wrote.
The lawsuit stemmed from allegations that Dawson told attendees at a March 2024 academic conference, “We don’t work with Jews. They are wealthy and privileged and take care of themselves,” and that the university was “controlled by wealthy Jews.” Dawson denied making the remarks, but an outside law firm hired by the university “concluded that ‘the weight of the available evidence supports the conclusion that Ms. Dawson made the statements attributed to her,’” according to court filings.
The university initially issued Dawson a written warning. Mark Bernstein, a university regent, wrote that he was “disgusted” with the university’s response and that she should be “terminated immediately,” according to the initial complaint.
Kumar found that Dawson’s allegations “could permit an inference that the university unfairly subjected her to discipline and termination based on the antisemitic viewpoint she was believed to have expressed, treating her differently than her university colleagues accused of publicly making other bigoted or offensive remarks.”
“But nothing other than Dawson’s own conclusions support that the university took these actions against her because of her race or gender,” the judge wrote.
The judge added that “the facts alleged by Dawson strongly suggest that the university’s actions against Dawson were motivated specifically by the fact that she was accused of making antisemitic remarks.”
