UCLA to Settle Antisemitism Lawsuit for $6.5m

Ryan J. Farrick — July 29, 2025

An image of Royce Hall on UCLA campus. Image via Flickr/user:B R E N T. (CCA-BY-2.0). (source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/49503118375@N01/371628984).

Janet Reilly, the chair of the University of California’s board of regents, said that the school is committed to “doing better moving forward.”

The University of California, Los Angeles, has agreed to pay $6.5 million to settle allegations that it discriminated against Jewish students during last year’s wave of pro-Palestine protests.

According to The Guardian, the lawsuit claimed that, with the “knowledge and acquiescence” of university officials, protesters regularly prevented Jewish students from accessing certain parts of campus. It also alleged that no substantive disciplinary action was taken against pro-Palestine protesters who made antisemitic statements and threats.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the University of California said that its measures had “fallen short” and will pay $2.33 million to eight organizations affiliated with the on-campus Jewish community.

The school will also a further $320,000 to an initiative to combat on-campus antisemitism and another $50,000 to each individual listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

“We are pleased with the terms of today’s settlement,” the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a joint statement. “The injunction and other terms UCLA has agreed to demonstrate real progress in the fight against antisemitism.”

Janet Reilly, the chair of the University of California’s board of regents, said that the school is committed to “doing better moving forward.”

“Antisemitism, harassment, and other forms of intimidation are antithetical to our values and have no place at the University of California,” Reilly said. “We have been clear about where we have fallen short, and we are committed to doing better moving forward.”

A gavel. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. (CCA-BY-2.0).

“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,” she said.

Yitzchok Frankel, a UCLA Law graduate and plaintiff in the lawsuit, shared his belief that the settlement should provide increased peace of mind for Jewish students.

“When antisemites were terrorizing Jews and excluding them from campus, UCLA chose to protect the thugs and help keep Jews out,” Frankel said in a statement. “That was shameful, and it is sad that my own school defended those actions for more than a year.”

“But today’s court judgment,” he said, “brings justice back to our campus and ensures Jews will be safe and treated equally once again.”

The University of California, Los Angeles, is continuing to litigate related claims, including a lawsuit filed on behalf of 30 pro-Palestine protesters who say that administrators failed to protect them from a “brutal mob assault” on an encampment.

“This was four-plus hours of unmitigated violence while UCLA private security stood sometimes feet away and did nothing to protect the faculty, students and community members protesting genocide,” said Thomas Harvey, an attorney for the pro-Palestine plaintiffs.