His lawyers wrote that Ataie\u2019s experience is part of a broader \u201cillegal crackdown\u201d on speech at the school. <\/span><\/p>\n UMass spokesperson Emily Gest wrote in a statement that faculty hiring at the university is \u201cgrounded in academic excellence\u201d and that \u201cdiverse perspectives are welcomed and debated\u201d there. <\/span><\/p>\n In court filings, the university criticized Ataie for his \u201cheavy reliance on speculation, conjecture, and fundamentally inaccurate information.\u201d His \u201cfree speech retaliation claims have so little basis,\u201d UMass attorneys wrote, \u201cas to be reckless.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n The case, filed April 7 in Hampshire Superior Court, puts the state flagship university in the midst of the growing national controversy over rights to free speech and the protection of Jewish students on college campuses. And it is not the first time the issues have surfaced. <\/span><\/p>\n UMass students\u2019 widespread protests against the war in Gaza ended with the arrest of 130 people<\/a> in 2024 and later prompted the Trump administration to include UMass in a list of 60 schools<\/a> it accused of allowing antisemitism to thrive on campus. Months later, a pro-Palestinian protest organizer sued the school for mandating his yearlong suspension and impinging on his protected speech. (He won a court injunction<\/a> in February.) <\/span><\/p>\n In Ataie\u2019s case, he attests that he was wrongly denied the professorship in the history of the modern Middle East, even as dozens of students and professors supported his appointment last year. Administrators recently hired a candidate for the open tenure-track professorship, despite Ataie\u2019s plea to halt the search as he filed suit. He now claims to face \u201cserious economic losses\u201d and \u201cemotional pain and suffering,\u201d according to court documents. <\/span><\/p>\n Attorneys for Ataie did not respond to requests for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n The UMass lawsuit underscores the thorniness in the debate around academic freedom on college campuses. Similar free-speech incidents around pro-Palestinian advocacy have emerged nationwide \u2014 at Emerson College<\/a> and University of California Berkeley<\/a>, for example \u2014 as faculty face calls to curtail their political views in the classroom. And schools well beyond that are squabbling over professors\u2019 rights to put up Pride flags<\/a> and to teach \u201ccontested\u201d subjects about race and gender.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Ataie\u2019s case may be an extreme example of the controversy around Middle East studies in particular, which is being scaled back at more<\/a> universities, though notably not at UMass. Harvard, for instance, in December forced out<\/a> the director of its Center for Health and Human Rights, where programming often touches on Middle East conflicts. <\/span><\/p>\n During the original UMass faculty search that ended in spring 2025, Ataie\u2019s academic expertise<\/a> on the Iranian Revolution and modern Middle East politics, including the long-running conflict between Israel and Palestinians, was a point in his favor, according to his complaint. He was ultimately ranked second among three finalists; the first candidate declined the job offer.<\/span><\/p>\n But Ataie never received a formal offer, he said, as fear of federal scrutiny took hold. UMass received the letter alleging discrimination from the Department of Education in March 2025. In the following months, the Trump administration elevated public criticism of controversial fields and revoked research funding for some universities, including $8 million for ongoing UMass projects. <\/span><\/p>\n UMass subsequently instituted cost-cutting measures and scaled back hiring<\/a> on several open roles, including the tenure-track professorship in Ataie\u2019s department. In court, UMass said <\/b>\u201can unprecedented financial crisis\u201d warranted those moves.<\/span><\/p>\n In May 2025, a Jewish student in Ataie\u2019s History of Israel-Palestine class filed a complaint against him, claiming that he taught a \u201cone-sided\u201d syllabus and created a \u201chostile environment\u201d for her, Ataie\u2019s lawsuit says. Attorneys for Ataie said in court filings the allegations of antisemitism were \u201dbased largely on the course\u2019s exposing her to pro-Palestinian content” and impacted his candidacy for the promotion. <\/span><\/p>\n Ataie alleges that UMass administrators investigating the complaint asked him about his religious beliefs, place of birth, and opinions on Israel, as well as proof he assigned Israeli readings in class. (The lawsuit says he did.) <\/span><\/p>\n Ataie claims, too, that administrators told him that a student \u201ccomplaint of this nature would not have required investigation in the past, but with external pressure from the federal government the University was required to show it was active against antisemitism.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In court documents, UMass administrators said the decision not to hire Ataie was in no way connected to the antisemitism complaint, which was later dismissed with no findings of misconduct.<\/span><\/p>\n Faculty and administrators involved in the search did not consider Ataie\u2019s political beliefs, UMass said in its filings. <\/span><\/p>\n Ataie is a member of the UMass chapter of Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine. In 2024, he helped students organize events, including teach-ins on Middle Eastern topics, and served as part of a faculty support group for students arrested while protesting against the war in Gaza. <\/span><\/p>\n Even so, in the Israel\/Palestine course, Ataie says he was <\/b>\u201cscrupulous in ensuring that his classroom provides a place of civility and mutual respect.\u201d At least one history professor corroborated in a court filing that Ataie\u2019s class offered appropriate balance.<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless, by August 2025, a history department administrator reduced Ataie\u2019s teaching load from six classes to one and dropped the Israel\/Palestine course altogether, the lawsuit alleges. <\/span><\/p>\n Later, the first professorship search Ataie participated in was considered \u201cfailed,\u201d and a new search was mandated <\/b>for the same job. Ataie alleges that this was \u201cdifferent than the norm\u201d in other academic departments, which either canceled the roles or returned to the existing search process. <\/span><\/p>\n Instead, \u201cthe Provost forced History to ignore the search that had produced three finalists, all pre-approved for hire, and to start the process over with an entirely new search,\u201d the lawsuit reads. <\/span><\/p>\n A UMass dean said in court documents that Ataie\u2019s canceled classes were \u201cunder-enrolled\u201d and the promotion he was up for was deemed \u201cnot critical\u201d when the university stopped hiring for multiple pending positions across campus.<\/span><\/p>\n In fall 2025, Ataie applied for the professorship again when a second candidate search began, but <\/b>his lawsuit said administrators did not seriously consider him. Administrators did not offer Ataie a Zoom interview, saying later in court documents that his application was \u201cthin\u201d and that his record of publication was \u201csignificantly substandard\u201d compared with other applicants. <\/span><\/p>\n But Ataie alleges that the job requirements were improperly rewritten to exclude him with new preferences \u201cagainst candidates who had a Middle East Studies focus\u201d and for those from \u201cwell-established graduate programs.\u201d (Ataie obtained two master\u2019s degrees, in Iran and Lebanon, before getting his PhD in history at UMass.)<\/span><\/p>\n Another candidate accepted the professorship in early April \u2014 an appointment Ataie is asking the court to intervene in as he seeks a jury trial.<\/span><\/p>\n Allowing Ataie to \u201csuspend and disrupt the University\u2019s hiring cycle for years while this litigation proceeds to conclusion would have disastrous consequences,\u201d UMass wrote in court filings. <\/span><\/p>\n The next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. <\/span><\/p>\n Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described details in a UMass affidavit. This article was also updated to reflect the title of the job Ataie was seeking.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com<\/a>. Follow her @ditikohli_<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/TLQTCCQQS3QYY3ZQGBGGJJ6RQQ.jpg?auth=a47328ebeeff870d456646616405a42fbdf30fe8f8ce17c21a87498fd96993fc&width=1440\")
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