Ernst & Young is facing a federal lawsuit from Cecilia Culver, a former assistant economist who claims she was wrongfully terminated after her viral graduation speech criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza sparked intense online backlash. Culver, hired by EY last year after an internship, delivered the controversial address at George Washington University's commencement ceremony in May.

Her speech called for the university to divest from companies she alleged were profiting from "genocide" in Gaza. The address generated thousands of online comments, with some praising her bravery while others accused her of antisemitism. Within 24 hours, EY placed Culver on administrative leave, then fired her four days later after she filed a discrimination complaint. The lawsuit names EY and five executives as defendants.

According to court documents, EY received over 10,000 communications demanding Culver's termination after social media critics tagged the firm and circulated petitions. Culver alleges the accounting giant caved to "rolling, real-time, crowdsourced demands" without specifying which part of its code of conduct her speech violated. She also claims EY employees who expressed opposing views faced no consequences. The firm declined to comment on the litigation.