Portland professor sues university for $7 million after she was placed on leave over viral 'I am Hamas' video

Published: 06:03, 26 May 2026 | Updated: 06:10, 26 May 2026 A tenured professor at Portland State University has filed a $7 million lawsuit against the school and its president after she was placed on administrative leave over a viral video in which she appeared to express support for Hamas. Yasmeen Hanoosh claims the university and its leadership discriminated against her and publicly defamed her by falsely portraying her as aligned with the terrorist group as well as antisemitic ideology after she was filmed at an off-campus event as a private citizen on June 2, 2025. Hanoosh had attended the Beaverton School District Board meeting that day to support a board member who she claims had been the subject of a targeted campaign of harassment for her own comments, according to the suit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on May 20. After the meeting ended, Hanoosh said she saw a group of men engaged in a heated discussion in the parking lot. When she then approached the men, one of them asked her, 'What do you know about Hamas?' to which she replied: 'I am Hamas, we're all Hamas,' the video shared online by StopAntisemitism shows. But Hanoosh claims she made the comment sarcastically, which she argued was apparent from the video. She also claimed she did not know she was being recorded and that the brief clip was edited in a way that made it appear she supported the militant group. Still, as the video spread online and Hanoosh was identified as the woman making the remarks, Portland State University President Ann Cudd released a statement calling her comments 'reprehensible.'  Yasmeen Hanoosh has filed a $7 million lawsuit against Portland State University and its president after she was placed on administrative leave over a viral video in which she appeared to express support for Hamas (pictured) 'PSU stands unequivocally against antisemitism, terrorism, and hate of any kind, including the statements made in this video,' she said at the time. 'Our university community has been working hard to create a welcoming and supporting environment for all, including our Jewish students, faculty and staff. The statements made in this video are absolutely unacceptable.' Hanoosh now accuses the school of relying on biased complaints and a one-sided investigation in its handling of the matter, which she said contributed to a hostile work environment. The lawsuit claims PSU received more than 1,200 emails after the video was posted online pressuring the university to fire her. But Hanoosh claims those emails came from people who 'were not present at the event and presumably based their complaints on the edited clip that was stripped of context,' according to the suit, seen by the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, Hanoosh received online harassment and threats.  She also argues the university made no attempt to contact her before Cudd released a statement about the video or placed her on administrative leave.  As a result, Hanoosh says the university defamed her 'by publicly and falsely portraying her as aligned with terrorism and antisemitic ideology by making additional false and misleading statements about the nature and context of her speech.' How should universities balance free speech with protecting their communities from hate and defamation? What's your view? Portland State University President Ann Cudd released a statement as the video spread online calling Hanoosh's remarks 'reprehensible' Hanoosh accuses the school of relying on biased complaints and a one-sided investigation in its handling of the matter, which she said contributed to a hostile work environment Her lawyers also claim the university perpetuated Middle Eastern stereotypes by framing her views as antisemitic and failing to address areas of potential bias among her colleagues.  Placing her on administrative leave, during which she was not allowed to have any contact with any faculty or students, was also a 'severe and stigmatizing action, second only to dismissal because it signals a highly negative judgment about a professor's conduct.'  The lawsuit also takes issue with PSU's 10-month-long investigation, which Hanoosh's lawyers say took an unusually long time to complete. It wasn't until November 19, 2025 - more than 160 days after she was placed on administrative leave - that university officials sought to get her side of the story, the lawsuit says. University officials then finished up the investigation on March 16, 2026, and reportedly found that Hanoosh did not violate any Portland State policies. The school's policies note that the First Amendment protects speech 'no matter how offensive its content' but that harassment, threats and incitement to violence are exceptions to free speech. Hanoosh then returned to her World Languages and Literatures classes in April, only to find out last week that her tenured professor job is one of more than 50 positions the university has slated for elimination next year as they seek to cut $1 million from the World Languages and Literatures department budget. Hanoosh (pictured) claims the university perpetuated Middle Eastern stereotypes by framing her views as antisemitic and failing to address areas of potential bias among her colleagues Her lawsuit now contends that the elimination of her position was retaliatory and not in accordance with the school's publicly stated plans for how layoffs would unfold.  At the same time, Hanoosh worries she will not be able to seek a new job as a result of Cudd's public statement, which remains online.  Hanoosh is now seeking $7 million in damages from the university for discrimination, retaliation, a hostile work environment, violations of free speech and equal protection laws and defamation. She is also seeking the removal and correction of any public statements university officials made about her participation in last year's protest. 'We hear a lot about antisemitism, which certainly does exist. But we hear less about Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism,' Hanoosh's lawyer, Ashlee Albies, told Oregon Public Broadcasting. 'Part of what Dr Hanoosh seeks to do is push back against Islamophobia, push back against anti-Arab racism, push back against the criminalization of Palestine solidarity.'  The Daily Mail has reached out to Portland State University for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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