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Good morning!
The disappearance of graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov continues to be one of the biggest stories on campus. One other cases that bears some similarities may be coming to a close. On Aug. 1, Xiyue Wang’s lawsuit was settled out of court. Wang was held as a prisoner in Iran for nearly three years while conducting research for his work in the University Department of History. The specifics of the filing are sealed.
In November 2021, Wang and his wife Hua Qu GS ’21 filed a lawsuit against the University. The suit alleged that the University caused him “severe personal injuries and other irreparable harm” through “grossly negligent acts,” including failing to adequately lobby for his release and encouraging him to pursue studies in Iran notwithstanding the scholar’s safety concerns.
On Jan. 24, 2022, the University filed its response to the Wang suit. Formally known as a “motion to dismiss,” the University argued in its rebuttal that the case be dismissed on the grounds that the original complaint was “unclear.”
Tsurkov’s supporters have invoked Wang specifically to call on the University to do more. Guest Contributor Jacob Olidort accused the University of prioritizing preserving relationships in Wang’s case in a July op-ed. In an op-ed in NJ.com, Tsurkov's sister has noted Wang’s “case has similar characteristics to my sister’s.”
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Analysis by Amy Ciceu
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