The University of California at Los Angeles has conceded that campus employees experienced antisemitism, even as university attorneys press a federal judge to throw out a federal lawsuit accusing the institution of permitting widespread harassment. In a legal filing submitted on Monday, university counsel wrote that there is no question some personnel were exposed to antisemitism on campus. UCLA maintained that it has addressed and will continue addressing the issue regardless of the litigation’s outcome, while asserting that the legal claims are fundamentally flawed and warrant dismissal.
The institution formally requested that U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder dismiss the Justice Department’s case with prejudice, which would prevent it from being refiled. UCLA argued that holding the university liable for actions committed by protesters, students, and outside agitators stretches the law beyond recognition, as the institution lacks direct control over those groups. The university categorically denied intentionally refusing to address harassment directed at Jewish and Israeli employees, contending that the federal government had weakened its own case by arguing that UCLA acted merely negligently. A Justice Department spokesperson stated that the agency will respond to the motion in court.
The university’s filing also targeted the individual plaintiffs at the center of the government’s case. Pointing out that UCLA employs more than 55,000 faculty and staff, the defense memo noted that the federal agency has put forward hostile work environment claims for only two employees: Dr. Kamran Shamsa and Professor Ian Holloway. Regarding Dr. Shamsa, the filing stated he received financial compensation under a separate 2025 settlement that bars his current claims, and added that he attended protests during work breaks away from his medical school workplace. For Professor Holloway, UCLA argued that a department-wide email concerning his discrimination complaint was merely a standard legal requirement to preserve records. Furthermore, the university asserted that two other named individuals were not current employees at all, noting that one is a professor emeritus who retired in 2004 and the other serves as an unpaid volunteer.
Beyond the immediate lawsuit, UCLA criticized the federal government for freezing $584 million in federal funding, characterizing the move as an unlawful retaliatory tactic. To counter allegations of inaction, the university highlighted improvements on the Anti-Defamation League’s campus antisemitism report card, where its grade rose from a “D” to a “B,” and referenced a federal judge’s recent decision dismissing similar claims for injunctive relief against Harvard University.
In support of its record, the university pointed to actions taken over the past three years under Chancellor Julio Frenk, whose grandparents fled Nazi Germany. These measures include the Chancellor’s Initiative to Combat Antisemitism—which released a strategic roadmap in May 2026—alongside a reorganized civil rights office, a new campus safety chief, and a dedicated Title VI officer. Additionally, UCLA suspended campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine in February 2025. The university’s defense has also drawn backing from within the academic community, including a public letter opposing the federal lawsuit signed by more than 130 Jewish faculty and staff members, as well as praise from ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt regarding the school’s institutional progress.
