UCLA ends antisemitism lawsuit with $6 million settlement

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has agreed to pay more than $6 million in a consent agreement after Jewish faculty and students brought an antisemitism lawsuit against the school over its handling of pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations.

The lawsuit was brought by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty last year after the encampments cropped up at the university that spring and a video went viral of a Jewish student being blocked from entering a certain part of campus.

The university will pay $6.13 million, with the funds going to the plaintiffs and various organizations that work to combat antisemitism.

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

According to the Becket Fund, the agreement is the largest private settlement in a campus antisemitism case.  

A judge will have to sign off on the deal, which also includes a permanent court order forbidding UCLA from excluding Jewish students and faculty on campus.

The agreement comes months after UCLA began its Initiative to Combat Antisemitism. 

“When antisemites were terrorizing Jews and excluding them from campus, UCLA chose to protect the thugs and help keep Jews out,” said Yitzchok Frankel, a recent UCLA Law graduate. “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.”