BREAKING: UCLA agrees to permanent court order stopping campus antisemitism, pays $6M+ in damages and fees Groundbreaking agreement forces UCLA to concede judgment, pay $6.13 million, and end antisemitic exclusion on campus

WASHINGTON – In a stunning about-face, UCLA agreed early this morning to a court judgment and settlement requiring it to pay over $6 million and subjecting it to a permanent court order forbidding it from excluding Jews from campus. In Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, Becket and co-counsel Clement & Murphy PLLC and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP sued UCLA last year after the university assisted  antisemitic agitators who blocked Jewish students and faculty from large swathes of campus and critical campus buildings. UCLA fought the lawsuit for over a year, refusing to admit it had done anything wrong. Last summer, federal District Judge Mark C. Scarsi provided sweeping preliminary relief to the Jewish community at UCLA, barring the university from continuing to facilitate antisemitic exclusion on its campus. The agreed judgment will officially bring the lawsuit to a close, making Judge Scarsi’s earlier decision permanent and ensuring that Jews at UCLA will not face such antisemitic exclusion in the future.   

The settlement requires UCLA to pay $6.13 million, including damages to each of Becket’s clients, millions in charitable contributions to organizations that support the Jewish community, and attorneys’ fees and costs. As part of the settlement, UCLA also agreed to final judgment and a permanent court order preventing it from facilitating efforts to exclude Jewish students and faculty from campus. The agreed judgment appropriately recognizes that it is discriminatory—and antisemitic—to prevent Jews from accessing public spaces because of their religious beliefs about Israel. The settlement is believed to be the largest private settlement in campus antisemitism cases. All parties agreed on the following joint statement about the final resolution: “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.”  

“When antisemites were terrorizing Jews and excluding them from campus, UCLA chose to protect the thugs and help keep Jews out,” said Yitzchok Frankel, father of four and 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.” 

The settlement comes nearly a year after Judge Scarsi ordered UCLA to stop assisting antisemitic agitators who set up a Jew Exclusion Zone on campus, blocking Jews from accessing classes, the library, and other critical areas of campus. UCLA helped the agitators by providing metal barriers, stationing security to shoo Jews away, and catering to the wishes of the agitators instead of ensuring safe passage for Jews on campus. These actions were documented in a report filed by UCLA’s own Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, which admitted the University had fostered an antisemitic environment. The Task Force Report condemned UCLA’s own behavior as “de facto or structural antisemitism” and “fail[ing] in its legal obligation to protect First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion.”  

“Campus administrators across the country willingly bent the knee to antisemites during the encampments,” said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and an attorney for the students. “They are now on notice: treating Jews like second-class citizens is wrong, illegal, and very costly. UCLA should be commended for accepting judgment against that misbehavior and setting the precedent that allowing mistreatment of Jews violates the Constitution and civil rights laws. Students across the country are safer for it.”  

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Ryan Colby at [email protected] or 202-349-7219.