Students for Justice in Palestine win ‘historic’ $100K settlement in suit against University of Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (DC News Now) — The University of Maryland (UMD) agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed by student group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a historic victory for the organization, according to multiple officials on Wednesday.

SJP’s suit stems from the university’s ban on students’ vigil for Gaza, which was planned for Oct. 7, 2024 — marking one year since Hamas attacked Israel, igniting the ongoing war in Gaza.

UMD ultimately banned all student-organized events from taking place on campus that day out of an abundance of caution, according to university president Darryll J. Pines at the time. Instead, he said only university-sponsored events that promote reflection would be allowed.

Upon Pines’s announcement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Palestine Legal sued UMD on Sept. 17 of that year on behalf of SJP.

On Oct. 1, 2024, a Maryland judge ruled in favor of the student group, finding that the university could not shut down the vigil.

“In response to our lawsuit, the University of Maryland claimed it was forced to cancel all events on October 7 due to racist threats from pro-Israel individuals, who declared they would organize a KKK rally and come to campus armed if SJP’s vigil proceeded. In its ruling, the court found that University could not bow to threats by shutting down UMD SJP’s event,” Palestine Legal said in a post on social media after the university’s settlement.

Despite the judge ruling in favor of the students, their lawsuit came to its eventual conclusion nearly a year later, with UMD agreeing to settle the case out of court.

CAIR and Palestine Legal announced the university agreed to pay $100,000 — the highest financial penalty ever imposed on a U.S. university for violating pro-Palestinian students’ free speech rights, the attorneys noted.

“From Gaza to the DMV, the occupation and its allies try to erase Palestine, but we resist. As the occupation starves millions in Gaza with U.S. backing, UMD remains complicit in repression,” SJP wrote in a post on social media, in part. “While the university remains complicit in genocide, we’ve forced them to pay. Now we turn their tainted dollars into defiance.”

The group said it would spend the settlement money on organizing and supporting its movement.

After the settlement was announced, UMD released the following statement:

UMD Students for Justice in Palestine (“UMD SJP”) and the University of Maryland announce the litigation in federal court has been mutually resolved through a settlement agreement with no admission of liability by the University. Further information about this case, including Judge Peter J. Messitte’s October 1, 2024, memorandum opinion granting UMD SJP’s motion for a preliminary injunction, can be found here and here. UMD SJP is a registered University student organization in good standing which has had more than 100 events on campus since October 7, 2023, for which it consistently followed the University’s policies and procedures governing such events.

The University reiterates its support for the First Amendment and particularly making campus space available for individuals and groups of all viewpoints to share their opinions pursuant to its Guidelines for Expressive Activities and the First Amendment. The University takes very seriously its responsibilities for the safety and security of all University students and other members of its community.
University of Maryland