UMD Deliberately Fed Gluten to Student With Celiac Disease: Lawsuit

Nbcwashington · 🇺🇸 public United States · Feb 25, 2020 · 317 words · By • At

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What to know about UMD Deliberately Fed Gluten to Student With Celiac Disease: Lawsuit

A student who has celiac disease says in a lawsuit that a Maryland state university deliberately served her food containing gluten.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A student who has celiac disease says in a lawsuit that a Maryland state university deliberately served her food containing gluten.

Why it matters

The lawsuit from Allegany County native Hannah Smith said the University of Maryland, College Park, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 by serving her food with gluten at least three times in the span of an academic year, news outlets…

Common ground

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Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: UMD Deliberately Fed Gluten to Student With Celiac Disease: Lawsuit?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The woman referred questions to the Maryland attorney general's office who said they haven't been served a copy of the complaint as of Friday?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/umd-deliberately-fed-gluten-to-student-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

schedule Pending 3

verified Verified 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “The woman referred questions to the Maryland attorney general's office who said they haven't been served a copy of the complaint as of Friday.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “The lawsuit from Allegany County native Hannah Smith said the University of Maryland, College Park, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 by serving her food with gluten at least three times in the span of an academic year”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources explicitly mention the lawsuit filed by Hannah Smith alleging a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 due to being served gluten multiple times in an academic year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Question 1 was a voter referendum that appeared on the ballot on November 5, 2024. It established in the Constitution of Maryland a right to reproductive freedom. The referendum was approved overwhelm…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Maryland_Question_1

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Daniel Lewis Cox (born August 9, 1974) is an American politician and lawyer, and perennial candidate. He was a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the fourth district fr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Cox

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Maryland,_Colleg…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The lawsuit was filed Feb. 20.”

CORROBORATED

Metro News and another source specifically state that the lawsuit was filed on February 20.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stephanie M. Smith (born May 20, 1981) is an American politician who currently serves in the Maryland House of Delegates. Smith represents the 45th Legislative District of the state of Maryland which …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_M._Smith

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Colonel Smith Jr. (born February 6, 1982) is an American politician who is a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 20 since 2016. He previously represented the district in the Ma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Smith_Jr.

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “The disease is triggered when patients eat any form of gluten, a protein found in wheat, according to the National Institutes of Health.”

VERIFIED

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the NIH, and MedlinePlus confirm that celiac disease is triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-relate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_for_Occupat…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_of_Mental_H…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States federal government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institutes_of_Health

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Smith was diagnosed as a teen with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that can damage the body's intestinal walls and cause long-term health complications.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Hannah Smith has celiac disease and describe it as an autoimmune condition that damages the small intestine.

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web search NEUTRAL — Hannah suffers from celiac disease -- an autoimmune condition -- where eating gluten, a protein found in products like wheat and barley and present in many baked goods, causes damage to her small inte…
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/hannah-smith-celiac-d…

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web search NEUTRAL — Hannah Smith suffered severe celiac attacks in her first year at the University of Maryland from being served food containing gluten.Hannah Smith was excited to earn admission to the University of Mar…
https://www.allergicliving.com/2020/02/26/student-with-celia…

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web search NEUTRAL — Genetic Testing for Celiac Disease Celiac disease is an inherited condition...
https://www.verywellhealth.com/celiac-disease-blood-tests-56…

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Claim 6: “A spokeswoman for the university declined to comment, The Baltimore Sun reported.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “One staff member told Smith the university doesn't take food allergies seriously, while another berated Smith and served her blackened toast for making a complaint, the lawsuit said.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the general lawsuit is corroborated, the specific detail about a staff member berating her and serving 'blackened toast' appears in the Metro News report but is not explicitly detailed in the other provided snippets.

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Claim 8: “The university didn't refund the cost of the meal plan to Smith and the school charged her extra to move into an apartment with a kitchen the following year, the lawsuit said.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 9: “Students who live on campus are required to buy a meal plan.”

VERIFIED

UMD Dining Services and Maryland Hillel both confirm that students living in traditional on-campus housing are required to purchase a meal plan.

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web search NEUTRAL — You can dine in any of the dining halls any time during the week and enjoy as many meals as you like. Students who live in traditional on-campus housing ...
https://dining.umd.edu/students/connector-plans

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web search NEUTRAL — As a resident dining plan member, you have unlimited access to three campus dining halls and can enjoy plenty of great food all semester long.
https://dining.umd.edu/students/resident-plans

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web search NEUTRAL — Why do we need to purchase a Platinum Full Meal Plan? The University requires all students living in a traditional dorm room (rooms not equipped with a ...
https://marylandhillel.org/dining/kosher-meal-plan/

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Claim 10: “A student who has celiac disease says in a lawsuit that a Maryland state university deliberately served her food containing gluten.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (FOX 5 DC, Metro News, and another news outlet) report that Hannah Smith filed a lawsuit against the University of Maryland, College Park, alleging she was served gluten despite having celiac disease.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former U.S. Army officer, serving as the 63rd governor of Maryland since 2023. Moore was born in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Moore

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “The food made Smith sick and she was hospitalized on one occasion, the lawsuit said.”

CORROBORATED

FOX 5 DC and Metro News both report that the student became violently ill and was hospitalized after being served gluten.

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Claim 12: “the lawsuit said... in the 2017-2018 year, Smith was served gluten at least three times even after Smith asked whether the food contained gluten.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report the lawsuit's claim that Smith was served gluten multiple times (at least three or four) during her time at the university, often after inquiring about the food.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A student with a gluten intolerance has sued her university after vengeful cafeteria staff allegedly served her toast. Hannah Smith, 20, filed a lawsuit against the University of Maryland on February …
https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/24/gluten-intolerant-student-sue…

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web search NEUTRAL — The lawsuit alleges that despite multiple meetings with dining staff, Smith was served food that contained gluten at least four times. In multiple instances, Smith was reportedly so sickened by eating…
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/hannah-smith-celiac-d…

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web search NEUTRAL — 22-year-old Hannah Smith lost both legs after a catastrophic accident during a Carnival Cruise Line shore excursion in the Bahamas is suing the cruise line and the excursion operators.The lawsuit alle…
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/hannah-smith-carnival-crui…

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Claim 13: “The lawsuit said Smith and her father spoke to the university about her dietary needs before committing for her to live on campus.”

CORROBORATED

FOX 5 DC reports that the university assured her they could accommodate her dietary needs and that they took her and her father around the dining hall before she committed to living on campus.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.