N.Y.U. Settles Lawsuit by Students Who Claimed Antisemitic Harassment
New York University will take a number of steps to respond to antisemitism as part of a legal settlement with three Jewish students who said they were verbally harassed because of their identities and support for Israel, the university and plaintiffs said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
The university will pay some money as part of the agreement, and create a new administrative position to make sure all allegations of discrimination and harassment are responded to consistently and adequately, among other actions.
The students, Bella Ingber, Sabrina Maslavi and Saul Tawil, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in November accusing the university of failing to take effective steps to quell a pervasive anti-Jewish and anti-Israel atmosphere on campus that made them feel unsafe and denied them equal access to their education.
Their lawsuit is part of a wave of litigation faced by schools around the country from Jewish, Muslim and Arab students who say they have experienced harassment and discrimination on campus since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Columbia, Harvard, U.C.L.A. and the University of Pennsylvania are among the schools that have faced similar suits from Jewish students.
A few cases have already been settled. At Columbia, for example, a case brought by a Jewish student was settled in June after the school agreed to appoint a “safe passage liaison” to serve as the contact for students who have protest-related safety concerns. That settlement also created a process for students to complete any assignments or exams that they were unable to finish because of demonstration activity.
Separately, the federal Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has started to resolve complaints of antisemitism and anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination against universities, including Brown, the City University of New York, the University of Michigan and Lafayette College. The agreements require the universities to more thoroughly investigate complaints of discrimination or harassment, and better train employees on how to respond to such allegations, among other steps.
