LOS ANGELES (BN24) — The University of California, Los Angeles, has agreed to pay $6.13 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by three Jewish students and a Jewish professor who claimed the university failed to protect them from harassment and physical obstruction during pro-Palestinian protests on campus in 2024.
The settlement, announced Tuesday, resolves legal claims that UCLA allowed demonstrators protesting Israel’s war in Gaza to block access to classrooms and other campus facilities, violating the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights. It also follows a landmark preliminary injunction issued last year — the first court ruling of its kind against a U.S. university over its response to anti-Israel demonstrations.
Although UCLA had argued it was not responsible for protesters’ actions, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi rejected that defense, finding the university acted with “deliberate indifference.” The judge ordered UCLA to implement measures protecting Jewish students’ rights to freely access campus spaces. The broader University of California system has since adopted new protest guidelines for all campuses.
The unrest reached a boiling point in spring 2024 when pro-Palestinian encampments were met with violent confrontations from counterprotesters. One night of chaos left over a dozen people injured after hours of fighting, during which law enforcement was slow to intervene. The following day, police arrested more than 200 demonstrators who refused to disband the encampment.
In March 2025, the Trump administration joined the lawsuit, adding political weight to growing national concerns about antisemitism on college campuses. The administration also launched civil rights investigations into multiple universities, including Columbia, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, and the University of Minnesota. Just last week, Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million in a separate settlement with the federal government, which is now positioning financial penalties as a standard element of compliance agreements.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced Tuesday that its investigation had found UCLA in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated UCLA “failed to take timely and appropriate action in response to credible claims of harm and hostility on its campus.”
As part of the settlement, UCLA must guarantee that Jewish students, staff, and faculty have equal access to all campus programs, services, and spaces. The financial agreement will cover damages and legal fees, with additional funds directed to eight Jewish organizations.
UCLA has said it remains committed to improving campus safety but did not respond to requests for comment regarding the settlement or the Justice Department’s findings.
Meanwhile, the legal battle is not over for the university. A separate lawsuit filed by 35 pro-Palestinian students, faculty, journalists, and activists alleges UCLA failed to protect their rights during the demonstrations. At least 15 demonstrators were injured during the 2024 protests, and the university’s response drew condemnation from Muslim students, advocacy groups, and political leaders alike.
Across U.S. campuses, tensions continue to escalate over Israel’s war in Gaza, with students from both Jewish and Muslim communities demanding protection of their rights and greater accountability from their institutions.
