In his own book, In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age, Nev Schulman talks about an incident where he was “tossed out” of Sarah Lawrence College for “punching a girl in the face.” He claims in the book that he was unaware the person he was punching was a woman.
In 2014, Vulture spoke with the woman (who wished to remain anonymous). here’s what she said:
“To be quite clear, Schulman’s account of the events of that night is as suspect as all his other endeavors. I attended the dance he mentions and saw that he was taking pictures of queer couples dancing and kissing without their permission. I talked to the Student Affairs liaison at the event, who I knew from my work study job, but nothing was done about it. I confronted him, and asked him to stop taking pictures. I didn’t tackle him, and I certainly didn’t choke him with his camera strap. I tapped his shoulder, and he turned and hit me out of nowhere, I went down and he held me in a head lock and repeatedly punched me while I tried to get free. The impact broke my glasses, and the rest of the night was a blur. I got off the floor, talked to police, then went home to sleep. When I woke up the next day, my face was bruised, I was hurt, and a friend urged me to go to the hospital, which I did.
From the hospital, I was directed to legal services and received legal advice. I was advised not to press charges because it would be a difficult case to win, as I didn’t have any broken bones, and it would be his word against mine. I also felt intimidated because his lawyer had been waiting for me in the parking lot after my legal meeting. I didn’t talk to him, but it was clear that Nev’s family had the means to drag me through a lengthy court case. As an LBGT financial aid student, I didn’t think the chance of getting justice looked good.”
