Three Jewish students and a Jewish professor filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles, claiming the university violated their civil rights by permitting pro-Palestinian demonstrators to bar them from classes and other campus areas in 2024. The university and the professor reached a $6 million settlement.
The settlement is the first time a U.S. judge has ruled against a university for how it handled on-campus protests against Israel’s assault in Gaza, and it was delivered almost a year after a preliminary injunction.
At first, UCLA had maintained that it was not legally liable for the problem as demonstrators, not the institution, had barred Jewish students from certain places. Additionally, the university collaborated with law enforcement to prevent new protest camps from being established.
U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, however, disapproved and mandated that UCLA develop a strategy to safeguard Jewish students on campus. Since then, the University of California, one of the biggest public university systems in the country, has developed campus-wide protest policies.
Many people were critical of the university’s handling of the encampment’s dispersal in the spring. The pro-Palestinian camp was stormed one evening by counterprotesters who used pepper spray and traffic cones. The violence lasted for hours and injured over a dozen individuals before police intervened. More than 200 individuals were arrested the following day after hundreds disobeyed demands to leave.
Trump administration joins lawsuit filed by Jewish students
The Trump administration opened new investigations into claims of antisemitism at Columbia University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, and Portland State University in March, joining the lawsuit brought by the Jewish professor and students.
In order to close investigations into suspected violations of federal antidiscrimination rules and reinstate more than $400 million in research funds, Columbia agreed to pay $200 million last week.
With financial penalties that are now viewed as a standard for future generations, the Trump administration intends to use its agreement with Columbia as a model for other universities.
Government finds UCLA violated civil rights of Jewish students
The Trump administration revealed on Tuesday that UCLA had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment “by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.”
According to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, “UCLA failed to take timely and appropriate action in response to credible claims of harm and hostility on its campus.”
According to the institution, it is dedicated to campus safety and will keep putting suggestions into practice.
According to a statement from the University of California Board of Regents, “Today’s settlement reflects a critically important goal that we share with the plaintiffs: to foster a safe, secure, and inclusive environment for all members of our community and ensure that there is no room for antisemitism anywhere on campus,” Janet Reilly said.
UCLA agrees to granting students equal access
UCLA is required by the settlement agreement to guarantee that Jewish faculty, staff, and students are not excluded from any university activities.
The plaintiffs’ losses and legal fees will be covered by the $6.13 million settlement. According to the university, eight groups that fight antisemitism will receive about $2.3 million.
Pro-Palestinian protesters also sue university
Thirty-five pro-Palestinian students, faculty, journalists, activists, and legal observers have also sued UCLA, claiming the university did not provide adequate protection for individuals who took part in the protests. On campuses across the nation, some Jewish students have also participated in demonstrations against Israel’s attack in Gaza.
At least 15 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were hurt during the 2014 UCLA protests, and political figures, Muslim students, and advocacy organizations criticized the government’s lackadaisical response.
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