A federal appeals court has given new life to a Holocaust survivor 's claim that the University of Oklahoma is unjustly harboring a Camille Pissarro painting that the Nazis stole from her father during World War II . The 2nd U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan has directed a lower-court judge to consider whether the lawsuit she threw out should be transferred to Oklahoma , saying she has authority to do so . The court 's order on Thursday came as the school found itself amid a racial controversy after video of fraternity students engaged in a racist chant spread across the Internet . Dr. Leone-Noelle Meyer maintained she is entitled to Pissarro 's 1886 'Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep ' because it belonged to her father when it was taken by the Nazis as Germany moved across France . University President David Boren ordered a fraternity house closed and expelled two of its members after reviewing clips of the chant that referenced lynching and said blacks would never be allowed in the fraternity . The school and Boren are defendants in the lawsuit brought in 2013 by 75-year-old Holocaust survivor Leone Meyer , who lives in Paris . She maintained she is entitled to Pissarro 's 1886 'Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep ' because it belonged to her father when it was taken by the Nazis as Germany moved across France . Her father , Raoul Mayer , died in 1970 . Swiss records show Meyer 's father in Paris had owned the painting . But a Swiss court ruled that the painting 's post-war owners had properly established ownership and rejected her claim . Bequeathed to OU by Clara Weitzenhoffer , the wife of oil tycoon Aaron Weitzenhoffer , the school displayed it publicly for over a decade . The painting : Swiss records show Leone-Noelle Meyer 's father in Paris had owned the painting 'Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep ' by Camille Pissaro . Disputed item : This Monday , May 12 , 2014 photo shows a display of information on the 1886 painting 'Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep ' by Camille Pissarro . The Weitzenhoffers bought the painting from a New York gallery in 1956 . When she died in 2000 , she donated more than 30 works worth about $ 50 million to the University of Oklahoma . In an emailed statement Saturday , Oklahoma University spokeswoman Catherine F. Bishop said : 'The University is continuing its efforts to work with the plaintiffs to determine all the facts in this matter , some of which may still be unknown , and to seek a mutually agreeable resolution . ' Last year , Boren defended Oklahoma University 's ownership , saying the school does not want to keep any items it does not legitimately own but also wants to avoid a bad precedent by automatically giving away gifts it receives to anyone who claims them . Boren and the school have opposed the lawsuit on largely procedural grounds , saying the school has sovereign immunity and that Meyer was not diligent in pursuing her claim and had sued in New York rather than Oklahoma as a 'forum shopping strategy ' to avoid Oklahoma 's more restrictive statute of limitations . Several Oklahoma lawmakers who authored a resolution in the state Legislature seeking to force the school to turn the painting over have spoken out against the university 's position . In a letter to the people of Oklahoma , Meyer has said her quest 'has nothing to do with money . It is about justice and a duty to remember . ' Pierre Ciric , a lawyer for Meyer , said Saturday he welcomed 'any progress toward the resolution of our client 's claim . ' 'It appears that everyone involved with this case agrees that ` La Bergere ' was the property of my client 's father prior to the Nazi occupation of France , which we have asserted since the complaint was filed , ' he said . Under fire : The court 's order on Thursday came as the school found itself amid a racial controversy after video showing Sigma Alpha Epsilon members singing a racist chant while traveling on a tour bus went viral .
The court 's order after video of fraternity students at the school engaged in a racist chant spread across the Internet . The school and Boren are defendants in the lawsuit brought in Holocaust by 75-year-old 2013 survivor Leone Meyer , who lives in Paris . Meyer says she entitled to Pissarro 's 1886 'Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep ' because it belonged to her father when it was taken by the Nazis . Swiss records show Meyer 's father , Raoul Meyer , had owned the painting in Paris .