Muslim Religious Life Affiliate and member of the Comparative Literature and French departments Ali Yedes has been accused by fellow Oberlin faculty member Samir Amin Abdellatif, visiting assistant professor of Arabic, of plotting murder, forging academic credentials, spying on Jews and attempting to bribe a teaching assistant into marriage.

Yedes is fighting back against these allegations, filing a complaint in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas last Thursday against Abdellatif for two counts of defamation as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit takes as its primary concern the claim that Abdellatif publicly hurled injurious and libelous claims at Yedes, resulting in irreparable damage to his reputation and, he claims, threats on his life. Yedes is seeking a trial by jury and compensatory damages in excess of $25,000.

This case, which has received national media attention from outlets such as Slate and Gawker, is the most recent development in a larger dispute within the shared Arabic and French departments that dates back nearly a decade.

Associate Professor of French and Cinema Studies Grace An filed a lawsuit against the College last month claiming that Yedes has targeted her repeatedly since 2006. An claims the harassment — which includes Yedes allegedly bringing his nephew on a student visa to the U.S. to “stab and kill someone from his department” — was based on her gender and therefore in violation of her employment contract. She is also asking for a trial by jury and compensatory relief exceeding $25,000.

The defendant in the most recent suit, Abdellatif, has filed numerous complaints with the College against Yedes during his tenure here, though no lawsuits to date.

This is Yedes’s second suit pertaining to the extended conflict. He filed a suit against the College and former French Department Chair Matthew Senior on March 23, 2012, claiming, among other things, that he was subjected to a hostile work environment because of his race, religion and national origin. The case was eventually dismissed.

For its part, the College has remained tight-lipped about the conflict, despite numerous attempts over the last several years to resolve it, all of which, including the hiring of an outside mediator, has proven to be unsuccessful. According to Oberlin Director of Media Relations Scott Wargo, the College will neither comment on pending or ongoing investigations nor on “personnel issues.”