--- title: "Federal lawsuit filed against The New School over alleged antisemitic harassment of student Sophie Shabot" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-the-new-school-over-alleged-antisemitic-harassment" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-the-new-school-over-alleged-antisemitic-harassment" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-the-new-school-over-alleged-antisemitic-harassment.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-the-new-school-over-alleged-antisemitic-harassment" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-08T01:25:17.719Z" source_reported: "2026-10-07T21:26:50.000Z" updated: "2026-10-08T01:25:17.719Z" trust_score: 78 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-08T02:15:25.110401+00:00" --- # Federal lawsuit filed against The New School over alleged antisemitic harassment of student Sophie Shabot *The complaint, filed on the third anniversary of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks, alleges failure to protect a Jewish student and cites a $300 payment by former president Donna Shalala* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 78 of 100, higher is better. Multiple named sources, filing date, court, and cited complaint document provide strong corroboration. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Clear context, quotes, specific names/dates, and coherent narrative earn high craft score. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Headline is strong but body matches claims; overall mild sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A federal lawsuit was filed on 7 October 2026 in the Southern District of New York on behalf of student Sophie Shabot. - The complaint alleges The New School failed to protect her from antisemitic harassment, including verbal abuse, physical assaults and vandalism. - Lawyer Ziporah Reich of the Lawfare Project is representing Shabot, and the suit says former president Donna Shalala gave $300 to protest encampment participants. - No left‑ or centre‑rated outlets ran the story, creating a media blind spot. On 7 October 2026 a federal complaint was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of Sophie Shabot, a student at the Parsons School of Design, which is part of The New School in New York City. The filing coincided with the third anniversary of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. The lawsuit contends that The New School did not protect Shabot from a campaign of antisemitic harassment. The complaint lists verbal abuse, being chased, pushed, spat on, blocked from entering buildings and vandalism of her desk as examples of the conduct she endured. It also describes an incident in which protesters prevented her from reaching a sewing studio and shouted hostile slogans. Ziporah Reich, director of litigation at the Lawfare Project, is listed as Shabot’s attorney. The complaint further alleges that former New School president Donna Shalala provided $300 to participants in an unauthorized encampment, a payment described as a reward for the protesters. > She became a target for relentless antisemitic harassment that took every form you can imagine > > — Ziporah Reich, director of litigation, Lawfare Project **$300** — Amount allegedly given by former president Donna Shalala (According to the complaint) ## Omissions No left‑ or centre‑rated outlets published the story, so those parts of the media did not provide any coverage of the lawsuit. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 100% (6) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-08T02:15:25.110401+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-08T02:30:15.774Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - All six right‑rated outlets reported the filing of the lawsuit, the allegation that The New School failed to protect a Jewish student, and the claim that Donna Shalala gave $300 to protest participants. The digests from wfmd.com, democraticaccent.com and Fox News summarised the complaint without adding quotations. The full reports from Jewish News Syndicate and Just the News quoted Ziporah Reich describing the harassment as "relentless antisemitic harassment that took every form you can imagine" and included statements from Lawfare Project founder Brooke Goldstein about the broader campus climate. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 6 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/law-and-order/2026/10/07/jewish-former-student-sues-new-york-school-says-admin-refused-to-help-while-protesters-shoved-spat-on-her) — Jewish Former Student Sues New York School, Says Admin Refused to Help While Protesters Shoved, Spat on Her - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/10/07/jewish-student-sues-new-york-school-on-oct-7-anniversary-over-relentless-antisemitic-harassment) — Jewish student sues New York school on Oct 7 anniversary over ‘relentless antisemitic harassment’ - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/jewish-student-sues-new-york-school-on-oct-7-anniversary-over-relentless-antisemitic-harassment) — Jewish student sues New York school on Oct 7 anniversary over 'relentless antisemitic harassment' – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/media/jewish-student-sues-new-york-school-oct-7-anniversary-relentless-antisemitic-harassment) — Jewish student sues New York school on Oct 7 anniversary over 'relentless antisemitic harassment' - [Jewish News Syndicate](https://jns.org/news/u-s-news/jewish-student-suing-parsons-school-of-design-in-nyc-faced-jew-hatred-in-every-form-you-can-imagine-her-lawyer-says) — Jewish student suing Parsons School of Design in NYC faced Jew-hatred in 'every form you can imagine,' her lawyer says - [Just the News](https://justthenews.com/nation/extremism/new-york-private-school-tolerated-rewarded-antisemitic-threats-violence-against) — New York private school tolerated, rewarded antisemitic threats, violence against Jews: lawsuit ## Questions **What does the lawsuit claim The New School failed to do?** The complaint says The New School did not stop a series of antisemitic actions against Sophie Shabot, including verbal abuse, physical assaults, spitting, blocking her from campus spaces and vandalising her desk. The filing argues the university neglected its duty to protect a Jewish student. **Who is representing Sophie Shabot in the case?** Ziporah Reich, director of litigation at the Lawfare Project, is listed as the attorney for Sophie Shabot. She is also identified as a representative of the Lawfare Project, which is handling the lawsuit on the student's behalf. **When and where was the lawsuit filed?** The lawsuit was filed on 7 October 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The filing date matches the third anniversary of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. **What amount does the complaint say Donna Shalala gave to protest participants?** The complaint states that former New School president Donna Shalala provided $300 to participants in an unauthorized encampment, a payment presented as a reward for the protesters. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-the-new-school-over-alleged-antisemitic-harassment. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Federal lawsuit filed against The New School over alleged antisemitic harassment of student Sophie Shabot", https://mediabias.news/politics/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-the-new-school-over-alleged-antisemitic-harassment