Lawsuit
Published on June 13, 2025
WESPAC Foundation, Inc. is a small nonprofit based in Westchester County, New York, dedicated to giving a human face to victims of injustice, abuse, and environmental harm. As part of its mission, WESPAC promotes equal rights and human dignity for all people in Israel and Palestine.
After protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began, plaintiffs’ lawyers filed seven legally and factually baseless lawsuits against WESPAC and other defendants, including members of Congress, unions, professors, and, in one case, the Tides Foundation. The plaintiffs alleged they were harmed as a result of various protests; in two cases, the plaintiffs asserted that their harm was being stuck in traffic.
Amazingly, no plaintiff alleges that WESPAC took any action related to the protests. Instead, the cases rely on the unfounded theory that WESPAC is liable for any alleged action of any organization it fiscally sponsors, even if WESPAC had no notice of the alleged conduct.
Given the utter lack of legal authority for this theory, these cases are best described as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), aimed at silencing advocacy. In fact, one plaintiff’s attorney has stated that the goal of his litigation efforts is to “bring down WESPAC.” Although brought by private parties, the Trump administration has filed papers in two cases advocating for the plaintiffs’ position, and attorneys general from twelve states, including Alabama, North Dakota and Oklahoma, have supported the plaintiff in another.
Human Rights First represents WESPAC in these cases as part of its work to defend democracy and First Amendment rights. To date, courts have dismissed four of the seven lawsuits, with motions to dismiss pending in the remaining cases.
On June 13, 2025, a federal court in California dismissed two cases against WESPAC.
On August 7, 2025, a federal court in Illinois dismissed a case against WESPAC and ordered sanctions, concluding that the plaintiff and counsel had brought the lawsuit for purposes of harassment and had made baseless legal contentions.
On January 20, 2026, another federal court in California dismissed a case against WESPAC.
