DOJ sues UC over alleged antisemitism, hostile work environment at UCLA

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - The U.S. Department of Justice today sued the University of California, alleging it fostered a hostile work environment against Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff at UCLA in violation of federal law.

According to the complaint, filed in Los Angeles federal court, acts of antisemitism permeated UCLA following the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The suit alleges the university engaged in a "pattern or practice of discrimination'' in violation of civil rights law against Jewish and Israeli employees by failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct. The lawsuit further alleges UCLA negligently permitted a hostile work environment against the employees.   

The DOJ contends that in 2024, the university allowed antisemitic harassment to continue unabated for days at a pro-Palestinian encampment in front of Royce Hall, including such acts as refusing to allow Jews on portions of the main quad. The department also alleges that Jewish professors were assaulted, and swastikas were scrawled on UCLA buildings.   

Mary Osako, UCLA's vice chancellor for strategic communications, said the university's leadership has made clear that antisemitism ``is abhorrent and has no place at UCLA or anywhere'' and has taken ``concrete and significant steps to strengthen campus safety, enforce policies, and combat antisemitism in a systemic and sustained manner'' since the events of two years ago.

Among other things, the university has recruited an associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety, established an initiative to combat antisemitism, and reorganized its civil rights office to ensure oversight and accountability, Osako said.   

"These ongoing and long-standing institutional efforts, including clear expectations and a commitment to enforcement, are working,'' she said. "We stand firmly by the decisive actions we have taken to combat antisemitism in all its forms, and we will vigorously defend our efforts and our unwavering commitment to providing a safe, inclusive environment for all members of our community."  

The lawsuit alleges the university not only turned a blind eye to antisemitism on campus but at times "facilitated" actions directed against Jewish and Israeli employees, including physical threats, classroom disruption, and workplaces papered with anti-Jewish imagery.   

"Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,'' Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. "Today's lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms."  

The 81-page suit stems from a probe by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in June 2024 which focused on alleged incidents of harassment at UCLA and the university's poor complaint system. Until the DOJ issued a notice of its investigation to UCLA in March 2025, ``not a single one of the dozens of civil rights complaints filed by Jewish and Israeli employees since October 7 was properly investigated,'' the lawsuit contends.   

"The EEOC is committed to eradicating antisemitism at work,'' EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said. ``If a university will not investigate and remedy repeated allegations of antisemitism against its employees, then EEOC will.''   

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli alleged that UCLA ``failed to live up to its systemwide commitment to diversity and equal opportunity when it stood by as Jewish employees were subjected to harassment. The federal government has an obligation to step in and ensure a discrimination-free