A former senior investigator in USC's Office of Civil Rights Compliance has sued the university, claiming she was fired last year after refusing her supervisors' request to strip a finding of federal regulatory violations from a report tied to a graduate student's loan denial. Brittany Gibson worked in the office from 2021 through 2025 and alleges retaliation, disability discrimination, and failure to accommodate a medical condition in a complaint covering conduct from 2023 through 2025.
Gibson's lawsuit, reported by USC Annenberg Media, centers on her investigation into a graduate student's retaliation claim against the university's financial aid department. The student alleged the department retaliated against her after denying her loan request, basing the denial on her projected income and a complaint she had filed against the associate dean of financial aid. Gibson found that USC's stated reasons for refusing to originate the loan violated both university financial policy and a federal regulatory code governing loan eligibility and amount determinations, according to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
According to the lawsuit, Gibson's supervisors asked her to remove any reference to the federal code violation from her final report. She maintained her findings rather than comply. Her attorney, Elvin Tabah, said the Office of Civil Rights Compliance took efforts to suppress evidence of misconduct within the USC community, per the Annenberg Media report.
Medical Leave Preceded Her Firing
Gibson was placed on medical leave after being diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression, taking 12 weeks of recognized time off. She continued to suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and severe emotional distress into 2025, and on May 19, 2025, she requested an additional 30 days of accommodation, per the lawsuit detailed by the outlet.
Her supervisors instead provided her with a 90-day performance improvement plan, and the lawsuit states she was not permitted to complete it. USC fired Gibson on May 30, 2025, and her suit states the termination occurred without any acknowledgement of her retaliation complaint. She is seeking compensation for 10 charges involving whistleblower retaliation, disability discrimination, and failure to provide accommodation, citing lost wages, benefits, and future earnings.
USC has said it takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously and believes the claims are without merit, and the university said it will defend itself in court, according to the same Annenberg Media report. USC did not reply to a request for comment on Tabah's remarks. Tabah said Gibson cares about justice and hopes the Office of Civil Rights Compliance will commit to integrity and better leadership.
One of Several 2026 Suits Against USC
Gibson's suit, filed in May 2026, is the third wrongful termination lawsuit filed against USC this year. The university's Office of Civil Rights Compliance has responsibilities related to investigating claims of discrimination and civil-rights non-compliance, according to USC's own policy documentation.
Earlier this year, former senior student programs adviser Sandra Parra filed a wrongful termination lawsuit alleging age and disability discrimination after being laid off in August 2025 following the death of her son, according to Patch. Parra said she had requested work-from-home accommodations for severe emotional distress before her layoff. Separately, former 68-year-old employee Cheryl Piazzola sued USC in August 2025 for wrongful discharge, retaliation, and disability discrimination, claiming the university failed to accommodate her medical leave for knee surgery and denied her reemployment after her position was filled while she was out, as reported by MyNewsLA.
Suits Emerge Amid Deep Budget Cuts
These cases have surfaced against the backdrop of sweeping financial cuts at USC. Interim President Beong-Soo Kim confirmed in November 2025 that more than 900 employees had been laid off since July 2025 to address an operating deficit that surpassed $200 million for fiscal year 2025, up from a $158 million deficit the prior year against a $7.4 billion overall budget, according to Forbes. USC also pursued efforts to place as many as 200 impacted employees in reorganized positions. According to the University of Southern California's Financial Resilience site, USC's audited financial statement shows a deficit of $158 million for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, roughly 2 percent of the total budget.
USC has previously resolved similar disputes rather than let them reach trial. The university reached an out-of-court settlement in March in a wrongful termination, race discrimination, and retaliation lawsuit brought by former senior athletics executive Joyce Bell Limbrick, who had sued after reporting misconduct by top leadership in early 2025.
The wave of litigation and layoffs at USC has unfolded during a period of financial pressure in higher education. Institutions nationwide have faced federal cuts, enrollment challenges, and state budget pressures. Major research institutions including Stanford and Brown also instituted hiring freezes and austerity measures during the same stretch.
Under California law, employers are barred from retaliating against employees who disclose suspected violations of state or federal statutes to a supervisor or investigating body, per California Labor Code Section 1102.5. California law separately requires employers to engage in a timely, good-faith interactive process and provide reasonable accommodations for employees with physical or mental disabilities, according to the California Civil Rights Department. The California Civil Rights Department's 2022 Annual Report says the department settled 656 civil rights lawsuits that year, providing broader context for the legal protections cited in Gibson's complaint. Gibson's complaint alleges that USC failed her on both fronts before her termination.
