Incident details
- Updated on
- Date of incident
- February 9, 2026
- Targets
- Michael Newman (Independent)
- Case number
- 2:26-cv-00908
- Case status
- Ongoing
- Type of case
- Civil
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
- Equipment damaged
- Actor
- Private individual
Equipment Damage
Independent documentarian Mike Newman is seen being tackled by a professor while filming at Ohio State University in Columbus on Feb. 9, 2026.
Filmmaker seeks damages from Ohio professors in federal suit
Independent filmmaker Michael Newman filed a federal lawsuit against two employees of Ohio State University in Columbus on July 29, 2026, seeking damages for a February attack.
Newman was attempting to interview the former president of the university for a mini-documentary Feb. 9. Christopher Green, a law professor, told Newman to stop interviewing, while Assistant Professor Luke Perez started an altercation with the filmmaker, eventually driving Newman to the ground.
The lawsuit alleges that Green then made false statements to law enforcement, blaming Newman for the incident, in an effort to get the journalist banned from the building.
Perez was ultimately charged with disorderly conduct, and pleaded guilty July 20, court filings show. In addition to probation, he received a suspended 30-day jail sentence, and was ordered to pay a $100 fine and not contact Newman.
Newman’s suit, filed nine days later, contends that Perez and Green violated his First and Fourth amendment rights. He seeks monetary damages for the incident in addition to an injunction guaranteeing that his constitutional rights would not be violated again.
Ohio man sentenced to 2 years of probation in attack on filmmaker
The man who assaulted independent documentarian Michael Newman at Ohio State University in Columbus was sentenced to two years of probation on July 20, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of disorderly conduct.
In February, Newman was attempting to interview the former president of the university for a mini-documentary. Assistant Professor Luke Perez was near the filming and started an altercation with the filmmaker, eventually driving Newman to the ground.
Newman told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker at the time that he suffered whiplash and that the monopod he used to hold his cellphone was damaged.
Perez pleaded not guilty to an assault charge in late February, but later agreed to plead guilty to a downgraded charge of disorderly conduct, court filings show.
In addition to probation, he also received a suspended 30-day jail sentence, and was ordered to pay a $100 fine and not contact Newman.
Independent documentarian Michael Newman was pushed to the ground, his phone slapped from his hand, on Feb. 9, 2026, while filming inside a campus building at Ohio State University in Columbus.
“I was scared, I was shocked, I was confused,” he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. “I’ve never felt that violated before in my life. It was very surreal.”
Newman had been filming inside the Smith Laboratory building for a mini-documentary on D.J. Byrnes, who runs the political blog The Rooster, and wanted to question the former president of the university, E. Gordon Gee, after a speech.
At one point, Assistant Professor Luke Perez, who was in the public hallway, made it clear he did not want to be filmed.
“I specifically tell him I’m not interested in him; I won’t get him on video,” Newman said. “There was no tension, there was no aggression on our part.”
Video published later by The Rooster captured the confrontation, which unfolded after Newman tried to ask Gee a question about student debt. In the footage, staff members can be heard telling Newman that Gee is finished taking questions.
Newman moves forward, and Perez quickly positions himself in front of him. Newman steps back and, within seconds, Perez knocks the equipment from Newman’s hand and drives him to the ground.
“I told you not to put that in my face,” Perez says in the video. “I’m not going to ask you again. … You put your hands on me, sir. You shoved that camera into my face, sir.”
Newman said there was no noticeable damage to his camera but that the monopod used to hold his cellphone broke in the attack. His neck and back were also sore, and he has had a hard time sleeping. A doctor told him he had whiplash.
“After I say, ‘One more question,’ next thing I know I’m attacked and on the ground,” he said. “I definitely did not shove my camera in his face; he shoved his face in my camera. I didn’t invade his personal space. You can see in the video I tried to step back, but I didn’t have a chance.”
Newman said the university police told him and Byrnes they were trespassed from the building and warned they would be arrested if they returned to campus. That order was rescinded a few days later.
The university has since placed Perez on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
At a Feb. 23 arraignment, Perez, who pleaded not guilty to an assault charge, was served a temporary protective order by a Franklin County judge, according to court records.
A hearing is scheduled for April 6.
For Newman, the fallout has prompted him to carry pepper spray while working.
“I’ll always be on edge now,” he said. “I’m always going to wonder, ‘Is this person going to attack me because I’m asking them questions?’”
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
