UCLA Settles Discrimination Case for $6M

UCLA Settles Discrimination Complaints Over Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations

UCLA has agreed to pay over $6 million to resolve discrimination complaints related to last year’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations, during which Jewish students and faculty were reportedly prevented from accessing classrooms, the library, and other campus areas. The settlement addresses allegations that the university failed to protect its Jewish community during a period of heightened tension on campus.

The legal action began in June 2024 when two law students and an undergraduate filed a lawsuit against UCLA. They claimed the university allowed a group of students and outsiders to establish a pro-Palestinian encampment that physically blocked Jewish individuals from entering key parts of the campus. According to the lawsuit, UCLA allegedly reinforced these zones by providing metal barriers and sending away Jewish students and faculty, without taking effective measures to ensure their safe passage.

Initially, the university denied any responsibility for protecting its Jewish students, leading to further controversy. However, the settlement now requires UCLA to pay $6.13 million, which includes damages to each plaintiff, $2.33 million in charitable contributions to eight organizations supporting the Jewish community, and attorneys’ fees and costs.

As part of the agreement, UCLA also committed to a permanent court order that prevents the university from facilitating efforts to exclude Jewish students and faculty from campus. This settlement is believed to be the largest private resolution in a campus antisemitism case, according to plaintiffs' attorneys.

“We are pleased with the terms of today's settlement,” said a joint statement from the parties involved. “The injunction and other terms UCLA has agreed to demonstrate real progress in the fight against antisemitism.”

In a separate statement, UC Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly acknowledged where the university fell short. She emphasized that antisemitism, harassment, and intimidation have no place at the University of California. Reilly stated that the university is committed to fostering a safe, secure, and inclusive environment for all members of the community.

The lawsuit alleged that the so-called pro-Palestinian zones violated civil rights laws and discriminated against Jewish students. Following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Palestinian demonstrations emerged on college campuses nationwide. Plaintiffs claimed that by allowing the encampment on the Westwood campus, UCLA caused Jewish students and faculty to be barred from accessing parts of the campus unless they agreed to disavow Israel’s right to exist.

According to the plaintiffs, activists—many of whom were masked—used checkpoints, issued wristbands, built barriers, and often locked arms to prevent Jewish students from passing through. For a week, the lawsuit said, UCLA’s administration was aware of these practices and chose to let them continue. Instead of clearing the encampment, the university instructed security staff to discourage unapproved students from attempting to cross through the blocked areas.

Yitzchok Frankel, a recent UCLA Law graduate and plaintiff, expressed his disappointment with the university’s actions. “When antisemites were terrorizing Jews and excluding them from campus, UCLA chose to protect the thugs and help keep Jews out,” he said. “That was shameful, and it is sad that my own school defended those actions for more than a year. But today's court judgment brings justice back to our campus and ensures Jews will be safe and be treated equally once again.”

The settlement comes nearly a year after U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi ordered UCLA to stop assisting antisemitic agitators who set up a “Jew Exclusion Zone” on campus. An attorney for the students, Mark Rienzi, noted that UCLA’s actions in catering to the agitators instead of ensuring safe passage for Jews were documented in a report by the university’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias. The report admitted that UCLA had fostered an antisemitic environment and condemned the university’s behavior as “de facto or structural antisemitism.”

Police ultimately dismantled the UCLA encampment in an overnight operation that resulted in more than 200 arrests. Supporters of the demonstrators accused officials of ignoring a violent attack on the encampment by counterprotesters while being quick to arrest those sympathetic to the Palestinians.

The agreement, which would be in effect for 15 years, is awaiting approval by Judge Scarsi, who is overseeing the case.