On July 30, 2025, a significant legal resolution was reached as the University of California, Los Angeles, agreed to a settlement of $6.45 million in a lawsuit filed by Jewish students. This agreement, which is set to last for 15 years, is currently pending approval from the presiding judge overseeing the case.
The lawsuit originated in June 2024, initiated by three Jewish students and a medical school professor. They claimed that UCLA allowed pro-Palestinian activists to obstruct Jewish students’ access to various areas of the campus, thereby infringing upon their civil rights.
In the spring of 2024, tensions escalated on campus when violence erupted around a pro-Palestinian encampment. Pro-Israel counterprotesters launched fireworks and other projectiles at the encampment, leading to hours of turmoil until campus police intervened. The former chancellor of UCLA, Gene D. Block, was named in the lawsuit along with other university officials and was later called to testify before Congress regarding issues of antisemitism on campus.
Under the terms of the settlement, each plaintiff will receive $50,000. Additionally, $320,000 will be allocated to a campus initiative aimed at combating antisemitism. Furthermore, approximately $2.3 million will be distributed to eight different Jewish community and advocacy organizations, including local Hillel chapters, the Academic Engagement Network, the Anti-Defamation League, and others, to support projects such as a Holocaust-related film.
UCLA has also committed to ensuring that it will not knowingly permit or facilitate the exclusion of Jewish students, faculty, or staff from any of its programs, activities, or campus areas. This includes prohibiting exclusion based on religious beliefs related to the state of Israel.