Kasowitz and NYU Announce Agreement on
Settlement of Case
NEW
YORK, July 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NYU and
the student plaintiffs in the federal court action, Ingber, et al.,
v. NYU, are pleased to announce that
they have agreed to a settlement of the case, under which
NYU has committed to take
groundbreaking measures to address antisemitism, including in the
wake of the October 7, 2023 terrorist
attack and ensuing violence in the Middle
East. These actions align with and strengthen
NYU's existing measures to safeguard
its community's Jewish and Israeli students and others who may
experience discrimination or harassment. NYU President Mills
said, "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."
As part of that commitment, and consistent with NYU's existing Non-Discrimination and
Anti-Harassment Policy (NDAH), which incorporates the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism,
NYU, which takes seriously all
allegations of discrimination, confirms that NYU treats all allegations of discrimination
against Jews and Israelis in the same manner that it treats conduct
prohibited under Title VI and other civil rights statutes when
directed at other protected groups.
The parties have agreed to a confidential settlement of the
litigation, including monetary terms. None of the
confidential terms detracts from NYU's
obligations to combat antisemitism under the agreement. As a
result of the agreement, NYU is
creating a new Title VI Coordinator position—among the first major
universities in the country to do so. Meant to parallel the
responsibilities of the Title IX Coordinator, who oversees
university-wide compliance with sex and gender-related
discrimination laws, the Title VI Coordinator will oversee
compliance with Title VI, including ensuring that NYU responds adequately and consistently to
allegations of discrimination and harassment based on all protected
traits. To fulfill this mandate, the Title VI Coordinator will
review and implement all applicable regulations and guidance from
the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR),
including OCR's 2021 and 2024 guidance regarding the use of the
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of
antisemitism and the accompanying examples. Additionally, to
promote consistency in NYU's response
to allegations of discrimination based on protected traits, the
Title VI Coordinator will prepare an annual report for the NYU
Board of Trustees on disciplinary data, as well as a
backward-looking report on NYU's
disciplinary response to allegations of discrimination or
harassment since 2018.
NYU is also committing to provide
additional resources to its community to prevent antisemitism by
updating the discussion of antisemitism in NYU's Guidance and Expectations for Student Conduct
document and including antisemitism in training on the NYU NDAH
that is mandatory for all NYU students
and staff. Furthermore, NYU has
committed to send an annual message from the Office of the
President to NYU students, faculty, and
staff conveying NYU's "zero tolerance"
for antisemitism and all other discrimination and harassment
prohibited by the NDAH; and to dedicate additional academic
resources and opportunities that will include a focus on the study
of antisemitism and Hebrew and Judaic studies, as well as to
strengthen NYU's existing relationship
with Tel Aviv University.
Marc Kasowitz of Kasowitz Benson
Torres LLP, counsel for the plaintiffs, stated: "NYU, by entering into this historic settlement, is
to be commended for taking a leading position among American
universities in combating antisemitism on campus. Other
universities should promptly follow their lead."
Media Contact:
Shannon O'Reilly
soreilly@kasowitz.com
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SOURCE Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP