A student at Albany Law School has sued the institution in federal court, alleging it retaliated against him for reporting a professor’s racially and politically hostile classroom conduct by opening disciplinary proceedings against him instead of investigating his complaint. The Albany Law School lawsuit, filed by Rowland A. Rupp IV in January 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, is now awaiting a decision on the school’s motion to dismiss.
What Happened in the Classroom
The dispute began on January 13, 2025, during the first session of an International Children’s Rights course taught by Professor Anthony Farley, a tenured faculty member and holder of the James Campbell Matthews Distinguished Professorship of Jurisprudence.1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative
According to the complaint, Farley turned off the classroom’s audio recording system and then delivered what Rupp calls a “hostile political and racial monologue directed at white conservative students.” The lawsuit attributes several statements to Farley during the lecture, including that the September 11, 2001, attacks were “unworthy of attention,” that the Founding Fathers were “worse than Hitler,” and that conservatives “hate Black people” and seek to “conserve slavery.”2The College Fix. Student Sues Albany Law Over Professor’s Alleged Hostile Comments Toward Conservatives
Rupp says Farley then singled him out, asking whether anyone in the class hunted and, looking at Rupp, remarking, “Of course the guy with the hat hunts.” The complaint characterizes the comment as using Rupp’s clothing as a “marker” of the identity Farley had just condemned.1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative
Rupp left the class about 30 minutes in. On his way out, he placed a hand on Farley’s shoulder and told him he was dropping the course and filing a complaint. The lawsuit describes the contact as brief and non-threatening. Later that day, Rupp alleges, Farley posted on Facebook mocking his appearance as an “incel/MAGA look,” referencing his “Daniel Boone” clothing and “Remember the Alamo” hat, and suggesting Rupp had unspecified mental “illnesses.”3Campus Reform. White Student Sues Albany Law School That Protects Professor Who Allegedly Went on Racist Rant
How the Complaint Became a Disciplinary Case
Rupp reported Farley’s conduct to school administrators the same day. The core of his lawsuit is what happened after. According to the complaint, the school never called witnesses or gathered evidence on his allegations, instead shuffling the complaint between offices for more than seven months in what his attorneys call a “bureaucratic shell game.”1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative
Farley filed his own complaint against Rupp. The lawsuit alleges Farley’s first account described the incident in non-violent terms and asked only that Rupp be removed from the roster, but that more than 24 hours later Farley revised his account to allege assault and a “crazy and racist scene.”2The College Fix. Student Sues Albany Law Over Professor’s Alleged Hostile Comments Toward Conservatives
The school then opened a formal disciplinary proceeding against Rupp. His lawsuit alleges what began as a “classroom disruption” charge was escalated into “a fabricated and racialized accusation of violent misconduct” based on Farley’s revised version of events. Rupp also alleges the school opened the supposedly confidential process to outside participation from the Black Law Students Association and a DEI dean aligned with Farley, and that investigators relied on interviews with students “handpicked by Professor Farley” whose accounts were summarized anonymously.1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative
Rupp’s attorney, Marco Cercone of Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC, put it plainly: rather than acting on his client’s complaint, “what Albany Law did was they commenced disciplinary proceedings against my client.”2The College Fix. Student Sues Albany Law Over Professor’s Alleged Hostile Comments Toward Conservatives
The Legal Claims
The federal case, Rupp v. Albany Law School of Union University (Case No. 1:26-cv-00045), was filed January 8, 2026, and is assigned to U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino.4PACER Monitor. Rupp v. Albany Law School of Union University It invokes Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination by institutions receiving federal funding, along with other civil rights laws.1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative The complaint advances three main theories:
- Racial discrimination, alleging Farley engaged in racially discriminatory conduct toward Rupp as a white student and that the school tolerated it.
- Retaliation, alleging the school punished Rupp for reporting Farley by initiating and escalating disciplinary proceedings.
- Selective enforcement, alleging the school applied its policies in ways that consistently favored Farley.
Rupp has also filed two related actions in New York State Supreme Court in Albany. One is a hybrid Article 78 petition and declaratory judgment action (Index No. 900466-26, filed January 9, 2026), which challenges the disciplinary process as illegitimate and alleges violations of the school’s own written rules and federally mandated confidentiality obligations.5Albany Law Accountability. Albany Law Accountability The other is a defamation suit against Farley personally over his social media posts.1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative
The School’s and Professor’s Response
Albany Law School has declined to comment publicly.1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative Represented by Stuart F. Klein of Bond, Schoeneck & King, the school filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim on May 11, 2026. Its exhibits include the Student Handbook, a September 25, 2025, determination letter from the school’s Harassment Subcommittee, an October 23, 2025, “Stipulation of Undisputed Facts and Settlement,” and an apology letter Rupp had written to Farley.4PACER Monitor. Rupp v. Albany Law School of Union University
Farley’s attorney in the defamation case, J. Remy Green, has called that lawsuit “frivolous” and “based on protected speech,” and said Rupp is “seemingly now denying facts he previously admitted in an apology letter.”2The College Fix. Student Sues Albany Law Over Professor’s Alleged Hostile Comments Toward Conservatives Green has invoked New York’s anti-SLAPP statute, amended in 2020 to broadly protect speech on matters of public interest, and warned Rupp will “learn an expensive lesson in how the law deals with frivolous lawsuits” if he proceeds.1Times Union. Law School Student Says Targeted as White Conservative No court has ruled on the anti-SLAPP defense. Rupp’s legal team has not publicly addressed the contents of the apology letter in detail.
Where the Case Stands
The federal case is at an early but pivotal stage. Briefing on the motion to dismiss was completed June 17, 2026, after Rupp filed an opposition that also included a cross-motion to amend the complaint. Judge D’Agostino has adjourned the scheduling conference indefinitely while she considers the dispositive motion.4PACER Monitor. Rupp v. Albany Law School of Union University The parties also discussed settlement at an April 2026 conference, but no resolution has been announced.
The motion to dismiss is the first real test. Courts generally afford universities broad discretion in academic and disciplinary matters, and Title VI requires a showing of different treatment because of race, not political viewpoint, which the statute does not cover. Whether Rupp can frame the alleged conduct as racial discrimination rather than ideological hostility will likely determine whether the case survives.