UCLA reaches $6 million settlement with Jewish students and professor over campus protests

By JULIE WATSON Associated Press The University of California Los Angeles reached a million settlement with three Jewish students and a Jewish professor whose suit against the university argued it violated their civil rights by allowing pro-Palestinian protesters in to block their access to classes and other areas on campus The settlement comes nearly a year after a preliminary injunction was issued marking the first time a U S judge had ruled against a university over their handling of on-campus demonstrations against Israel s war in Gaza UCLA had argued that it had no legal responsibility over the issue because protesters not the university blocked Jewish students access to areas The university also worked with law enforcement to thwart attempts to set up new protest camps But U S District Judge Mark Scarsi disagreed and ordered UCLA to create a plan to protect Jewish students on campus The University of California one of the nation s largest inhabitants university systems has since created system-wide campus guidelines on protests How the university handled dispersing the encampment in the spring drew widespread criticism One night counterprotesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray with fighting that continued for hours injuring more than a dozen people before police stepped in The next day after hundreds defied orders to leave more than people were arrested Related Articles Wife of Marine Corps veteran distributed from ICE custody after advocacy from GOP Senator s office ICE says detained Maine police officer overstayed visa The chief says he cleared a federal check Los Angeles County seeks ordinance preventing law enforcement from concealing their identities Sean Diddy Combs asks for release on a million bond ahead of sentencing in October Red Sox fans slam Connecticut pol who wrongly calls out John Henry amid Fenway Park strike Trump administration joins lawsuit filed by Jewish students In March the Trump administration joined the lawsuit filed by the Jewish students and Jewish professor as it opened new investigations into accusations of antisemitism at Columbia University the University of California Berkeley the University of Minnesota Northwestern University and Portland State University Last week Columbia agreed to pay million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws and restore more than million in research grants The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities with financial penalties that are now seen as an expectation for future agreements Establishment finds UCLA violated civil rights of Jewish students On Tuesday the Trump administration reported the U S Department of Justice s Civil Rights Division revealed UCLA violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational atmosphere for Jewish and Israeli students UCLA failed to take timely and appropriate action in response to credible alleges of harm and hostility on its campus mentioned Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon of the Justice Department s Civil Rights Division The university has reported that it s committed to campus safety and will continue to implement recommendations The university did not promptly respond to a request for comment on the settlement or the DOJ announcement Tuesday UCLA agrees to granting students equal access As part of the settlement agreement UCLA must ensure Jewish students faculty and staff are not excluded from anything on-campus The million settlement will pay the plaintiffs damages and legal fees and go toward eight Jewish organizations Pro-Palestinian protesters also sue university A group of pro-Palestinian students faculty members legal observers journalists and activists also has filed a lawsuit against UCLA alleging the university failed to protect those who participated in the demonstrations During the protests at least pro-Palestinian protesters were injured and the tepid response by leadership drew criticism from political leaders as well as Muslim students and advocacy groups