Florida International University students sue over expulsions

Four Florida International University (FIU) students are in a federal trial challenging suspensions and expulsions imposed after racist, antisemitic, and violent messages from a private group chat became public. The plaintiffs, Abel Carvajal, Dariel Gonzalez, Ethan Ratchkauskas, and Dante Mojena, argue that the university violated their First Amendment rights by punishing protected speech.

During testimony before Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, expelled student Dariel Gonzalez defended the messages as provocative, edgy humor intended to shock rather than express genuine violent intent. Gonzalez testified that while certain comments, such as those regarding beheading, appeared horrifying in isolation, they were understood as jokes within the context of the private group.

FIU maintains that the messages constituted threats and violated the university’s Student Conduct and Honor Code, causing disruption within the campus community. The legal dispute centers on whether the university improperly treated offensive political statements and jokes as actionable threats.