New York University in Greenwich Village, New York City, United States of America on July 7th, 2024. Photo: Beata Zawrzel via Reuters Connect

New York University has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum of money to settle a lawsuit brought by three students who sued the school for responding, allegedly, to antisemitic discrimination “with deliberate indifference,” the school’s spokesperson confirmed in a statement issued on Monday.

In resolving the case, NYU avoids a lengthy trial which would have revealed precisely who and which office received but failed to address numerous reports that — according to the court documents filed in November — NYU students and faculty “repeatedly abuse, malign, vilify, and threaten Jewish students with impunity” and that “death to k—es” and “gas the Jews” were chanted by pro-Hamas supporters at the school.

The suit was one of many filed against colleges and universities after an explosion of antisemitic conduct that followed Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel. It charged that “pleas for help and protection” were ignored and that NYU administrators “gaslighted” Jewish students instead of punishing those responsible for the discriminatory acts to which they were subjected.

“The parties have agreed to a confidential settlement of the litigation, including monetary terms,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a press release. “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.”

Speaking in the same press release, the plaintiffs’ attorney issued a statement which positively described the terms of the settlement.

“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 Marc Kasowitz of Kasowitz, Benson, and Torres LLP. “Other universities should promptly follow their lead.”

Columbia University, another elite school based in the New York City area, has also settled a lawsuit in which it was accused by a student of neglecting its obligation to foster a safe learning environment amid riotous pro-Hamas protests that were held at the school throughout the final weeks of the academic year.

The resolution of the case, first reported by Reuters, calls for Columbia to hire a “Safe Passage Liaison” who will monitor protests and “walking escorts” who will accompany students whose safety is threatened around the campus. Other details of the settlement include “accommodations” for students whose academic lives are disrupted by protests and new security policies for controlling access to school property.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.