Judge Orders Idaho State to Pay $728,371 Judgment
A federal-style racial discrimination ruling requires the university to pay damages plus attorney's fees and costs after a pharmacy student's expulsion.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Financial Aid
Live Poll
Do you trust public universities to treat students fairly under their own rules?
A judge ordered Idaho State University to pay a total judgment of $728,371.55 in a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by Chanica Sintima, a Black doctoral pharmacy student. The payment covers damages plus attorney's fees and costs.
Why it matters
The ruling holds a public university liable for retaliation and unfair application of absence and tardiness policies, with implications for how Idaho institutions treat students in clinical programs. It also raises questions about whether the student can be restored to good academic standing.
The total judgment is $728,371.55, with additional payments covering attorney's fees and costs on top of the April jury award of $160,000. The jury verdict did not restore Sintima's academic standing, and the university has not said how it will respond.
The players
Idaho State University
A public research university in Pocatello, Idaho, which was found liable for retaliation and racial discrimination in the case.
Chanica Sintima
A Black doctoral pharmacy student at Idaho State University who brought the discrimination lawsuit after her removal from a clinical rotation and expulsion.
The details
Sintima sued Idaho State in September 2024, alleging she was removed from a clinical rotation at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in fall 2023 and then received a mid-semester failing grade and expulsion in early 2024. A Bannock County jury found in her favor and found defendants liable for retaliation; the judge's later order brought the total to $728,371.55.
Timeline
September 2024: Sintima filed her lawsuit against Idaho State University.
Fall 2023: Sintima was removed from her clinical rotation.
Early 2024: Idaho State expelled Sintima.
April: A Bannock County jury awarded a $160,000 verdict.
Friday: The judge issued the order bringing the total judgment to $728,371.55.
Legal Context
The judgment builds on the April Bannock County jury verdict, which held Idaho State liable for retaliation after its handling of absence and tardiness policies. Similar disputes over how public universities apply academic-standing rules in clinical programs continue to test the boundaries of student discrimination claims in Idaho.
Students in Idaho public universities, particularly those in clinical programs, may see closer scrutiny of how absence and tardiness policies are enforced. The ruling could affect how schools handle academic standing and expulsion decisions involving students who raise discrimination claims.
The takeaway
Students facing academic removal or expulsion should document how policies are applied to them compared with classmates, since that record can matter in discrimination or retaliation claims. Idaho public university students can also review their institution's academic-standing appeal procedures before a dispute escalates.
Further reading
For related coverage of student costs and support, see Financial Aid in Idaho.
Live Poll
Do you trust public universities to treat students fairly under their own rules?
