Federal Court Grants Motion to Dismiss in Favor of University Client

On February 26, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts entered an Order granting a Motion to Dismiss by Firm client President and Fellows of Harvard College in a case brought against it by a group of alumni. In Bauer et al. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College et al., the plaintiffs sought injunctive relief and damages arising from acts alleged to have occurred on Harvard’s campus in 2023. The plaintiffs argued that Harvard's role in and response to the alleged acts diminished the value of their degrees, conferred between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s. Following motion practice and oral argument, the Court dismissed the case, holding that the plaintiffs, having “graduated from Harvard many years before the central events referred to in the complaint” and “not themselves directly affected by Harvard’s recent administrative actions and/or omissions,” had “no cognizable legal injury that could be redressed through this suit.”

You can read more about the case here. Counsel for Harvard in this matter included Daniel J. Cloherty and Victoria L. Steinberg, partners at the Firm, and Alexandra Arnold, a Firm associate.