Federal judge declines to dismiss lawsuit from Piegaro ’25 against University, case to move forward

Cynthia Torres and Luke Grippo August 25, 2026 1 min read

Federal judge declines to dismiss lawsuit from Piegaro ’25 against University, case to move forward

Cynthia Torres and Luke Grippo
Daily Princetonian 

On July 31, federal judge Zahid N. Quraishi issued an opinion mostly denying a motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by David Piegaro ’25. The motion was jointly filed by Princeton University and Kenneth Strother, the University’s police chief, who are the defendants in the case. The ruling sends 12 of the 13 claims against the defendants to discovery, where the parties will gather evidence before a potential trial.

The lawsuit stems from an altercation between Piegaro and Strother that occurred during the 2024 Gaza Solidarity encampment. Piegaro was charged with simple assault and trespassing after the incident. In April 2025, he was found not guilty of simple assault while the trespassing charge was dropped earlier that year in February. Quraishi’s opinion allowed most of the claims Piegaro made to proceed.

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