Advanced

Boosinger v. Regents of the University of California

April 2024
University of California, Los Angeles (Public college or university)
Los Angeles, CA

Identity of Speakers

  • Plaintiffs
    Student
    Other

    A coalition of over 30 individuals, including pro-Palestinian students, faculty members, legal observers, journalists, and activists who participated in or supported the demonstrations at UCLA.

Resources

Additional Information

  • Incident Nature:
    Rally or protest
    Lawsuit
    Other
  • Incident Political Orientation:
    Not Clear
  • Incident Responses:
    Faculty sanctioned
    Student sanctioned
    Staff Sanctioned
    Rally or Protests
    University administration changed university policy as a consequence
    Campus police
    Other Law Enforcement
    Litigation
    Title IX or other federal statute
  • Incident Status:
    In litigation State Court
  • Was Speech Code incident

Summary

In March 2025, a coalition of more than 30 pro‑Palestinian students, faculty, legal observers, journalists, and activists filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles and related defendants. The plaintiffs alleged that UCLA discriminated against them by failing to protect their protest encampment during demonstrations related to the Israel‑Hamas conflict in April 2024.

The complaint stated that on April 30, 2024, the encampment was violently attacked by counter‑protesters while UCLA officials and campus law enforcement failed to intervene effectively. The next day, May 1, campus police dismantled the encampment and arrested over 200 demonstrators. The plaintiffs alleged that many of the arrests were wrongful, involved excessive force, and violated their rights to free expression and peaceful assembly. They sought damages and demanded that UCLA adopt policies to better protect pro‑Palestinian voices and ensure demonstrator safety.

The lawsuit unfolded alongside broader legal and campus developments. In July 2025, UCLA settled a separate civil rights case brought by Jewish students and a professor who alleged they were excluded from campus areas and harassed during the protests, agreeing to pay more than six million dollars and implement measures to prevent discrimination.

In February 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against UCLA and the University of California system, claiming that the university had allowed a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli employees during the same period of pro‑Palestinian activism. The DOJ alleged that administrators failed to prevent or address antisemitic harassment and sought institutional reforms and damages for affected employees.