Donald Knierim is fighting to have his Public Service Loan Forgiveness processed. Vanessa Valadez for BI

A retired student-loan borrower is fighting for public service debt relief. Now he's named in a lawsuit against Trump.

Donald Knierim is fighting to have his Public Service Loan Forgiveness processed. Vanessa Valadez for BI

After working in public service for over a decade, Donald Knierim is still waiting for student-loan forgiveness.

Now he's participating in a lawsuit in hopes of getting relief for himself — and thousands of others.

Knierim first spoke to Business Insider earlier in October. In 2015, the 71-year-old started working for Metra, Chicago's commuter railway. His goal was to stay on the job for a decade in order to earn Public Service Loan Forgiveness , which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years.

He thought he had succeeded in November 2025, when his Federal Student Aid dashboard read, "Congratulations!…