A federal lawsuit that claimed New York University failed to seriously address antisemitism on campus as the Israel-Hamas war raged has been settled for a “confidential” amount, both sides said Tuesday.
“We are committed to continuing our vigorous efforts to confront discrimination, including antisemitism, and the settlement in this litigation is yet another step in this direction,” NYU President Linda Mills said in a statement.
The announcement came after a court Monday canceled oral arguments in NYU’s motion to dismiss the suit. The arguments were originally scheduled to be heard Tuesday morning.
The details of the settlement involving the university and the four plaintiffs, all Jewish NYU students, will remain “confidential” — including its “monetary” terms, the school and the opposing lawyers said in a joint statement.
But the school did say it has committed to the creation of a new coordinator involving Title VI – a civil-rights era statute which protects persons of protected traits – to ensure that NYU “responds adequately and consistently to allegations of discrimination and harassment.”
The school said it also will review its guidance regarding the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and will update its expectations for student conduct documents accordingly.
“NYU, by entering into this historic settlement, is to be commended for taking a leading position among American universities in combating antisemitism on campus,” said the students’ lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, who is also leading antisemitism suits against several institutions of higher learning, in the statement.
“Other universities should promptly follow their lead.”