Pharmacy Student's Win Costs Idaho State $728K

Students facing clinical removal or academic dismissal in Idaho should know how a discrimination judgment can affect enrollment and standing.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Financial Aid

Pharmacy Student's Win Costs Idaho State $728K

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A judge ordered Idaho State University to pay a total judgment of $728,371.55 in a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by Chanica Sintima, a Black doctoral pharmacy student, and to reinstate her. The total includes attorney's fees and costs for Idaho residents following a Bannock County jury verdict.

Why it matters

The case shows how a clinical rotation removal can lead to a failing grade and expulsion, and how that outcome can be challenged in court. For students in Idaho's professional programs, it underscores that academic standing, enrollment status and the cost of an interrupted degree can be at stake.

The total judgment is $728,371.55, which includes attorney's fees and costs on top of the $160,000 jury award from April. The jury also found the defendants liable for retaliation, and the award did not restore Sintima's academic standing.

The players

Idaho State University

A public university in Pocatello, Idaho, serving students in its health-sciences programs, including its doctoral pharmacy program.

The details

Sintima argued that Idaho State applied its absence and tardiness policies unfairly, treating her more severely than a white classmate. She was removed from an Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center clinical rotation in fall 2023, and the university gave her a failing grade in the middle of the fall semester before expelling her in early 2024. The jury found in her favor, and a later judge's order brought the total judgment to $728,371.55 and directed the university to reinstate her.

Fall 2023: Sintima is removed from her clinical rotation.
Early 2024: Idaho State expels Sintima.
September 2024: Sintima files her lawsuit against the university.
April: A Bannock County jury awards a $160,000 verdict in her favor.
Friday: The judge issues the order bringing the total judgment to $728,371.55.

Education Landscape

Racial discrimination claims against public colleges are typically resolved through court judgments that include attorney's fees, which can add substantially to the base award. Cases like this one fit a long pattern in which students who lose academic standing challenge the process that led to their removal.

Students in Idaho's professional programs should know that a clinical rotation or academic-standing decision can affect degree completion and any aid tied to enrollment. If you face a similar issue, ask your school's financial-aid office how a failing grade or expulsion would affect your eligibility and what appeal options exist.

The takeaway

The case signals that academic removals tied to attendance and clinical performance can be legally contested, and that outcomes may reach beyond a single grade. Students who receive a failing grade or dismissal notice should ask the school for its written appeal process and the timeline for filing one.