In Largest EEOC Public Settlement in Almost 20 Years, Columbia University Agrees to Pay $21 Million to Resolve EEOC Antisemitism Charges

NEW YORK – Columbia University will pay $21 million for a class settlement fund to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Columbia employees occurring on its campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today. This settlement resolves EEOC charges, including a Commissioner’s Charge brought by Acting Chair Andrea Lucas in 2024 on behalf of a class of all Jewish employees, alleging that since at least Oct. 7, 2023, Columbia engaged in a pattern or practice of harassment based on national origin, religion, and/or race, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII). This resolution represents the largest EEOC public settlement in nearly 20 years for any form of discrimination or harassment. In addition, in the EEOC’s 60-year history, this is both the largest EEOC settlement for victims of antisemitism to date, as well as the most significant EEOC settlement for workers of any faith or religion.

As part of a broader agreement with the Trump administration, Columbia chose to voluntarily resolve these charges with the EEOC, without admission of liability, to avoid an extended dispute. Under the multi-year agreement with the EEOC, the Ivy League university will establish a $21 million class claims fund to compensate employees who may have experienced antisemitism on Columbia’s campus post-Oct. 7, 2023. As announced by the White House, as part of a multi-agency agreement, Columbia also agreed to a $200 million fine, as well as robust compliance monitoring and other injunctive relief.

“Under the guise of promoting free speech, many universities have actually become a haven for antisemitic conduct, often in violation of the universities’ own time, place, and manner policies, as well as civil rights law,” EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas said. “The Trump administration is committed to combatting antisemitism wherever it rears its head, including the workplace—and universities are workplaces too. No employee should be subjected to harassment based on their faith or Jewish identity.” Lucas added, “We commend Columbia for providing a robust claims fund to remedy alleged antisemitism harassment that may have been experienced by its employees.”

To identify additional potential aggrieved individuals, a claims administrator will send a notice to all Columbia employees, including faculty (including tenured, non-tenured, and adjunct professors), staff, and other employees (including, but not limited to, students employed by the university). Among other things, the notice will explain how to respond to a confidential questionnaire. The EEOC will use the questionnaire to determine which claimants are eligible to receive money. For information about the claims process, contact alvin.mallette@eeoc.gov.

Title VII prohibits workplace harassment based on religion, which may occur when an employee is subjected to unwelcome remarks or conduct based on their religion. Harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment. Severe or pervasive antisemitic conduct—like vandalism, assaults, death threats, violent slogans and symbols, disruptive and violent protests in violation of campus policies, and preventing faculty and staff from accessing their place of work and other privileges of employment—can violate college and university employees’ Title VII rights.

As previously announced on Jan. 21, one of Lucas’s priorities for compliance, investigations, and litigation is protecting workers from religious bias and harassment, including the egregious and widespread antisemitism that has plagued some of our country’s elite universities.

The EEOC and Acting Chair Lucas have published multiple resources to help employees and employers address antisemitism at work:

• EEOC Fact Sheet: What To Do If You Face Antisemitism at Work
• EEOC’s Unanimous Resolution Condemning Violence, Harassment, and Bias Against Jewish Persons in the United States: Resolution of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Condemning Violence, Harassment, and Bias Against Jewish Persons in the United States | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• EEOC’s Religious Discrimination Enforcement Guidance: Section 12: Religious Discrimination | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Training on Combating Antisemitism in the Workplace by Acting Chair (then Commissioner) Lucas with the Louis D. Brandeis Center: Combatting Antisemitism in the Workplace | Monday, January 10, 2022

If you work for a university or college (or any other employer) and have experienced antisemitism at work, you can file a charge with the EEOC. Learn more here: https://www.eeoc.gov/how-file-charge-employment-discrimination.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.