A former Jewish employee at Pomona College says she was effectively pushed out of her job after developing PTSD, alleging the school’s response to pro-Palestinian campus protests left her feeling unprotected.
Melody diDonato has filed a lawsuit accusing the college of antisemitic discrimination, claiming she did not feel safe at work and faced retaliation after voicing her concerns.
The civil complaint was filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court by attorney David Tashroudian on diDonato’s behalf. It lists seven causes of action and seeks no less than $1 million in compensatory damages.
According to allegations in the lawsuit, reviewed by the Daily Mail, the claims include disability harassment, harassment based on national origin, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Named as defendants are Pomona College; Jose Rodriguez, the school’s vice president of IT; Joseph Brennan, its assistant vice president of IT; and 10 unidentified individuals listed in the complaint as “Does 1-10.”
DiDonato joined Pomona College’s IT department in March 2022 and alleges she was forced to resign in May 2025 after years of feeling unsafe on campus amid what she describes as antisemitic pro-Palestinian demonstrations that began following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel.
The complaint says the effect of the protests on diDonato, which it characterizes as violent and poorly controlled, was compounded by the conduct of college staff and her supervisors.
The lawsuit further alleges that “Defendant Pomona College” and its employees engaged in “antisemitic rhetoric” and showed a “lack of concern for the safety” of diDonato, which the complaint says “exacerbated [her] emotional distress.”
A former Pomona College Jewish employee is suing the California institution for alleged antisemitic discrimination during pro-Palestine protests in 2023 and 2024. A protest photo at the college from April 11, 2024
The lawsuit was filed last week by attorney David Tashroudian on behalf of his client, Melody diDonato (pictured)
Pomona College denies the allegations and provided a statement to the Daily Mail that read: ‘Pomona College vigorously denies these allegations and will continue to defend its position before the court.
‘All forms of discrimination and harassment, including antisemitism, are antithetical to Pomona College’s core values and have no place on our campus.’
Tashroudian, diDonato’s attorney, spoke to the Daily Mail by phone call this week and said: ‘All employees in California have the right to enjoy employment without the threat of harassment and discrimination, so we’re confident that we’re going to prevail in this case.’
DiDonato had to endure seeing ‘antisemitic graffiti’ and ‘shattered glass’ around campus for many months, which constantly made her feel unsafe, according to the lawsuit.
In May 2024, about half a year after the protests began, diDonato emailed the college’s HR department ‘about her mental health and PTSD from the violent protesting and antisemitism she was exposed to,’ the lawsuit said.
She also complained about her boss, Rodriguez, ‘making comments which she considered to be hate speech about Netanyahu,’ and said ‘that she felt targeted as a Jewish-American person.’
Specifically, Rodriguez is alleged to have shared a message on the professional messaging platform Slack that was titled ‘Welcome to an Apartheid State.’ The message ‘made Plaintiff feel very uncomfortable,’ the lawsuit said.
But Pomona College’s HR department ‘Unfortunately… made no efforts to address, follow-up, or investigate Plaintiff’s complaints,’ the complaint said.
The lawsuit alleges that protests at Pomona College were violent and out of control at times. Protesters are pictured marching near the school on April 11, 2024
A pictured encampment on the college’s campus blocked access to a graduation stage and the school moved the ceremony to a faraway auditorium rather than clearing the encampment
Pro-Palestine protests were accommodated by Pomona College, according to the lawsuit, which said that in November 2023, protesters ‘infiltrated’ the campus and set up encampments that blocked a graduation stage.
The protesters made ‘their anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic position known to the public,’ and they handed out ‘Anti-Jewish pamphlets,’ the lawsuit said.
Instead of clearing out the encampments, Pomona College moved its graduation ceremony to the Shrine auditorium, which is nearly 40 miles away from the campus and a more than hour-long drive.
The protesters followed, leading to ‘a police standoff and access to buildings, and at times, were dangerous, violent and aggressive,’ the lawsuit said.
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After the graduation ceremony, protests and encampments were allowed to continue on the campus for months, which made diDonato feel ‘very threatened and unsafe,’ as she feared that ‘she would run into one of the violent protesters,’ the suit said.
When she approached her superiors with her concerns, they simply told her to avoid the areas of campus where the encampments and protests were occurring, according to the complaint.
In April 2024, protests on campus further escalated when ‘protesters violently stormed the office of Pomona College’s president,’ the lawsuit stated.
That incident ‘created more stress and anxiety’ for diDonato because it became clear that protesters were ‘comfortable with violence and entering administration buildings.’
A pro-Palestinian protester walks along a line of LAPD officers outside Pomona College’s commencement ceremony at Shrine Auditorium on May 12, 2024
The lawsuit said the standoff with police was ‘dangerous, violent and aggressive’ at times
Despite additional outbursts of violence on campus, ‘Defendant Pomona College refused additional police presence on the campus,’ according to the complaint.
After the protesters stormed the office of the college’s president, most employees were allowed to work from home.
DiDonato claims she requested to be able to do the same, but her supervisor, Brennan, told her she had to work in person in case she had to check in IT equipment for staff, the lawsuit said.
Her attorney, Tashroudian, told the Daily Mail that the protests ‘prevented… my client from having free access to the whole of her community, and she was subjected to discriminatory and harassing conduct on campus in violation of the law.’
‘So we’re seeking recourse for that,’ he added.
DiDonato went on medical leave in June 2024 due to the stress she endured while working at Pomona College, the lawsuit said.
She claims she was forced to resign in May 2025 because of ‘her extreme emotional distress, including PTSD, which prevented her from working at the campus given Pomona College’s prior history of not supporting and protecting its Jewish-American employees,’ the suit further stated.
DiDonato has requested a trial by jury. The lawsuit is still in the discovery phase, which means both sides are exchanging and uncovering evidence in preparation for a potential trial. Tashroudian told the Daily Mail that the discovery phase will likely last until December.
DiDonato said she was forced to resign from Pomona College in 2025 after developing PTSD due to the way the institution handled pro-Palestine protests on campus
In December 2025, Pomona College settled a federal lawsuit brought against it by the Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center on behalf of students who said they also experienced antisemitic discrimination
In April 2024, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Brandeis Center filed a federal complaint with the US Department of Education alleging antisemitism at Pomona College.
The complaint was filed on behalf of Jewish students who claimed to have had antisemitic experiences on campus.
In December 2025, seven months after diDonato resigned, the college reached a resolution agreement with the ADL and Brandeis Center to address the complaint and help Jewish students feel safer on campus.
Pomona College states that the resolution ‘specifically addresses the most prevalent and growing forms of antisemitism, while also offering a framework that can help the College respond to other types of shared-ancestry discrimination, such as anti-Palestinian racism.’
It also ‘reaffirms our shared commitment to free speech and open inquiry – values that are foundational to the College’s mission.’
As part of the settlement, Pomona College did not admit to fault.
Regarding diDonato’s lawsuit and the resolution agreement, Tashroudian told the Daily Mail: ‘The hope is that this case, as well as that other case, will make the campus safer for all students faculty.’
DailyMail.com also reached out individually to Rodriguez and Brennan for further comment.
