OMAHA, Neb. — An Omaha man who was kicked out of the University of Nebraska’s law school just months before he was set to graduate is suing the school and others, saying he was discriminated against because of his Arabic heritage and Muslim beliefs.
Mohammad Al-Turk filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in Nebraska’s federal court, naming the University of Nebraska College of Law, several law school officials, the University of Nebraska and the university’s Board of Regents as defendants.
The lawsuit says Al-Turk’s troubles began in his third year of law school when he suffered computer problems and was unable to turn in a rough draft of a paper due Oct. 22 for a comparative law class.
Al-Turk met with his professor, Brian Lepard, that day to explain why he could not turn in his paper and was told to turn it in when he could, according to the lawsuit. Al-Turk said he tried to re-create the paper from various notes and source materials he had previously prepared and turned in the rough draft several days after the deadline.
Soon after, Lepard determined that Al-Turk had plagiarized works in his paper, and unbeknownst to Al-Turk, reported to school officials that the student had violated the college’s honor code. Professor John Lenich was appointed to prosecute Al-Turk’s case before the school’s honor committee.
Al-Turk tried to negotiate a settlement, but the honor committee dismissed him in February. He had been set to graduate in August.
The lawsuit says Al-Turk was discriminated against based on his race and religion and that his constitutional right to due process was violated.
