The granddaughter of immigrant Holocaust survivors, Schlussel's mother was born in the former Nazi concentration of Bergen Belsen in Germany, and her father is a Vietnam-era Army Veteran. A frequent speaker at conservative, pro-Israel, and Jewish conferences, gatherings, college campuses, and events around the U.S. Schlussel was a featured speaker at the 2004 National Board Meeting of JINSA (Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs), 2004 National Conference of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), 2001 and 2002 NRA Annual Meetings, 2002 Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity National Convention, and 2000 Toward Tradition Conference.

In 1988, Schlussel was the youngest female and youngest Jewish delegate to the Republican National Convention, a National Youth Vice Chairman of George H. W. Bush's 1988 Presidential campaign, and a Youth Chairman of his 1989 Inauguration. An avid athlete who works out regularly, Schlussel won several medals in tennis, track and cross country running in the 1984 Maccabi Games (the Junior Jewish Olympics). In 1985, she was a finalist to represent the U.S. in tennis at the Maccabiah Games (Jewish Olympics) in Israel.

Schlussel worked for Fred Barnes, Editor of The Weekly Standard Magazine, host of FOX's Beltway Boys, and Mort Kondracke, also of the Beltway Boys? when Barnes and Kondracke were Senior Editors of The New Republic. Schlussel also worked in Washington for several Congressmen including Rep. Phil Crane, Chairman of the powerful House Trade Subcommittee.

As stated in the complaint, Ms. Stergalas was approached by a Muslim student who told her Mr. Fadlallah hit him, and he asked for her advice.She told the student to report it to authorities.As a result, the harassment of Ms. Stergalas, directed by Mr. Fadlallah, escalated.

Included among the harassment described in the complaint, Mr. Fadlallah deliberately scheduled two separate classes during the same period of the day in opposite ends of the school building, making it physically impossible to comply with the schedule.This was done to both complainants, Mr. Purcell and Ms. Stergalas. As further alleged in the complaint, Mr. Fadlallah and Ms. Stergalas were deliberately assigned the worst students, in terms of discipline and academics, in a measure to drive them out of Fordson High School. And, as stated in the complaint, students were encouraged to cause problems and fabricate false, negative reports against Mr. Purcell and Ms. Stergalas.

As also stated in the complaint, Mr. Purcell has Type I diabetes, and among Mr. Fadlallah's means of harassment was to schedule Mr. Purcell's classes at the times when doctors specifically noted Mr. Purcell needed to have his lunch break to take his required shots and medication and eat his required food, lest he go into shock. As also stated in the complaint, Mr. Fadlallah forbade Mr. Purcell from required shots and eat his required food during parent teacher conferences.

The lawsuit claims violations of both the U.S. and Michigan Constitutions and statutes, including the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Michigan's Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, the Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, and the Michigan Whistleblowers' Protection Act. Both Mr. Purcell and Ms. Stergalas are seeking injunctive and declaratory relief, damages, and other relief.

As previously noted, the Law Offices of Debbie Schlussel is a private law firm, which in addition to performing other legal work, defends and promotes Western values, including freedom of speech and religion for Christians and Jews. Debbie Schlussel also defends non-Muslims and moderates against unjust criminal allegations designed to silence them. Among the matters in which attorney Debbie Schlussel has successfully prevailed, are:

Haitham Masri et al v. Ron Wolf, in which a Shi'ite Muslim doctor and open supporter of HAMAS and Hezbollah sued an indigent Jewish man, Ron Wolf, in an attempt to silence Mr. Wolf from talking about Mr. Masri's unethical medical practices and the extremist Shi'ite mosque to which he belongs. Schlussel represented Mr. Wolf pro bono and prevailed in getting the lawsuit dropped, as it was little more than an attempt by a wealthy Muslim to squelch the First Amendment speech rights of an indigent Jewish man. Schlussel also exposed Dr. Masri's fraudulent divorce, which was a transparent Islamic attempt to fraudulently convey property to avoid collection of judgments against him in American courts. Mr. Masri's daughter, Lena Masri, is a lawyer for a militant Islamic "civil rights" group.

People/State of Michigan v. "Haidar" [real name redacted for security reasons], in which Schlussel successfully defended "Haidar," a moderate Shi'ite Muslim was framed for a violent crime because he voiced his support for Israel and opposition to Hezbollah and married a Jewish woman. Schlussel represented Haidar pro bono. He was an informant for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Haidar's primary accuser, Ali Taleb, is a wanted terrorist in Lebanon and an agent of Hezbollah, who lies in the Detroit area. After a two-day trial in which the judge severely limited the exculpatory evidence Schlussel wished to present in her client's defense, the jury returned with two unanimous "NOT GUILTY" verdicts for Haidar, after less than 25 minutes of deliberations.