The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has filed a lawsuit against the Regents of the University of California alleging that UCLA allowed a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff.
Allegations and Legal Basis
The complaint asserts that the university violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by creating and maintaining a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli employees at its UCLA campus.
The suit alleges the university engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination by failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct based on race (Jewish), religion (Judaism), and national origin (Israeli).
The complaint further alleges the university negligently permitted a hostile work environment for two named charging parties — Professor Ian Holloway and Professor Kamran Shamsa — and other aggrieved Jewish and Israeli employees.
Events Following October 7
The allegations center on events that followed the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in 2023.
According to the complaint, antisemitic acts became pervasive at UCLA after those massacres.
The suit alleges that in 2024 antisemitic harassment was allowed to continue for days in front of Royce Hall.
The filing cites specific incidents including Jewish people being denied access to portions of the main quad, Jewish professors being assaulted, and swastikas being graffitied on university buildings.
The university is accused of ignoring gross and repeated violations of its own viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions when those violations targeted Jewish and Israeli employees.
Impact on Faculty and Students
The complaint alleges Jewish faculty and students were physically assaulted, had classrooms disrupted, and had workplaces covered with disturbing images.
The filing also alleges that Jewish professors faced ostracism and harassment from colleagues and students while supervisors failed to intervene and in some cases participated in the abuse.
As a result, numerous Jewish and Israeli employees took leave, worked from home, or left their positions to avoid the environment.
The lawsuit references UCLA’s Antisemitism Task Force report from October 2024, which documented an environment of harassment, bias, and discrimination.
The task force found that failures to protect Jewish staff and faculty created a hostile work environment under Title VII.
The complaint states that dozens of complaints from Jewish and Israeli employees were filed with UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion but were not properly investigated.
Encampment and Ongoing Protests
The encampment in the Royce Quad in spring 2024 is cited extensively, including barricades, antisemitic signs and chants, denial of access to Jewish individuals, and assaults.
The complaint notes that UCLA provided some accommodations to protesters but allegedly failed to enforce rules consistently.
The filing says protests continued into 2025 and 2026, including after suspensions of involved groups.
Statements and Relief Sought
“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike.”
“Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a DOJ press release.
“The litany of vile acts of antisemitism that allegedly took place, and continue to take place, at UCLA are, if found to be true, a mark of shame against the University of California.
The Justice Department will ensure that UCLA maintains an environment for its employees free from antisemitic harassment,” added Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division.
The 81-page complaint seeks injunctive relief to require the university to investigate and address complaints, implement training on anti-discrimination policies, modify its procedures, and provide compensatory damages to affected employees, including the two named professors.
The suit also demands other relief as the court deems appropriate.
