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Expelled For Plagiarism, Concordia Student Files $16-Million Lawsuit

September 2007

A former Concordia University student expelled in 2004 for plagiarism has filed a $16-million damage suit against the university. Ashraf Azar alleges he was unjustly kicked out after accepting blame for tampering with other students’ exams and assignments in a business statistics course. He claims he was misled by a university-supplied advocate when he admitted to academic misconduct. He said he was advised it would result in “lesser punishment” for him and his sister, Layla Azar, also cited in the incident. Because he was vulnerable at the time, his admission “must carry no merit,” he says in a 136-page statement of claim filed in Quebec Superior Court.