The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has settled a lawsuit brought by a Jewish professor and Jewish students over its alleged failure to prevent antisemitic discrimination on campus during protest activity in 2024.
UCLA announced the settlement on Tuesday and stated that “the injunction and other terms UCLA has agreed to demonstrate real progress in the fight against antisemitism.”
The four Jewish plaintiffs claimed that they were physically prevented from entering campus locations such as classrooms or the library during the pro-Palestinian encampment demonstrations. UCLA also allegedly assisted in defining the pro-Palestinian zones by providing barriers and sending Jewish students and faculty away.
The total amount to be paid by UCLA following the Frankel v. Regents of the University of California case is $6,450,000, comprising $6,130,000 to the plaintiffs and $320,000 to the UCLA Initiative to Combat Antisemitism.
The four plaintiffs – Yitzchok Frankel, Joshua Ghayoum, Eden Shemuelian, and Dr. Kamran Shamsa – are to receive $50,000 in compensation each, amounting to $200,000. A sum of $2,330,000 is to be distributed by the plaintiffs among a selected group of nonprofits that contribute to the Jewish community and/or the fight against antisemitism.
UCLA settles antisemitism case
The groups are: UCLA Hillel, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Chabad of UCLA, the Orthodox Union, and two others. The remaining $3,600,000 is to be allocated “in accordance with agreements regarding feed and costs.”
In addition to the compensation, the court ordered an injunction that prohibits UCLA from discriminating against Jewish students or staff. The injunction states that UCLA is not allowed to offer programs, activities, or campus areas that are not “fully and equally accessible to Jewish students, faculty, and/or staff.”
UCLA is also prohibited from “knowingly allowing or facilitating the exclusion of Jewish students, faculty and/or staff.”
One notable part of the injunction is that “all references to the exclusion of Jewish students, faculty, and/or staff shall include exclusion of Jewish students, faculty, and/or staff based on religious beliefs concerning the Jewish State of Israel.”
However, the injunction noted that the university is permitted to exclude any student or staff – Jewish or otherwise – who violates the university’s code of conduct.
“Antisemitism, harassment, and other forms of intimidation are antithetical to our values and have no place at the University of California,” said University of California Board of Regents chair Janet Reilly.
“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.”