Ex-Columbia law professor says school may have unwittingly fended off class action suits with hybrid move [Video]

Columbia University may have fended off the threat of class action lawsuits this week when it announced classes have shifted to virtual or hybrid amid ongoing safety concerns stemming from anti-Israel protests, according to a former law professor at the embattled school. 

Attorney Danny Karon, who used to teach at Columbia Law School and specializes in class action suits, felt Jewish students might have had a case earlier this week. Rabbi Elie Buechler advised them to leave campus and go home as anti-Israel agitators made it unsafe. The university’s policies insist it is committed to providing learning, living and working environments free from harassment. But then new guidelines said all courses on Columbia’s main campus moved to hybrid learning “until the end of each school’s Spring 2024 semester” in an effort to keep students safe. 

“I don’t think it was pretextual, I think Columbia did the right thing to preserve the safety …