The Lawfare Project with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLLP secure settlement agreement in antisemitism lawsuit against Columbia University

The Lawfare Project announced today that it has settled its civil rights lawsuit against Columbia University. The suit, filed together with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP alleged that the university’s School of Social Work discriminated and retaliated against Jewish student Mackenzie Forrest when it failed to protect her from antisemitic harassment and forced her out of a specialized academic program after she requested safety accommodations. 

Forrest, an observant Jewish student, began experiencing anti-Jewish discrimination after she sought a religious accommodation to observe the Sabbath in her Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program (“Program or DBT Program”).  The then director of the Program, who had a documented history of antisemitic conduct—including emails advising colleagues not to admit observant Jewish students to the Program— attempted to bully Forrest into forgoing her religious accommodation. Then, in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks and subsequent explosion of antisemitism on campus, Forrest reported the hostile environment on campus and asked to attend classes via Zoom to address her safety concerns. Despite routinely granting students’ requests to take classes via zoom, Forrest was gaslighted and told that she was the only student who felt unsafe on campus and that she would not be permitted to attend classes via Zoom. The administration then began a campaign of retaliation against Forrest and ultimately forced her out of the DBT Program.

"We have reached a confidential settlement with Columbia that includes a monetary component as well as other relief” said Ziporah Reich, Director of Litigation at The Lawfare Project. “We brought this lawsuit to hold Columbia accountable for what we alleged was a deeply troubling failure to protect a Jewish student from antisemitic discrimination and retaliation. This case sends a clear message to universities across the country that when Jewish students report harassment and seek accommodations, their concerns must be taken seriously.  The civil rights of Jewish students are simply not negotiable.”

The lawsuit garnered the attention of the Department of Justice, which launched an investigation into Columbia’s handling of antisemitism. At the same time, the House Education and Workforce Committee called then-President Minouche Shafik to testify at a congressional hearing regarding the antisemitic hostility on Columbia’s campus.

“These outcomes reflect the power of legal action to bring about meaningful change.” said Brooke Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. “We are proud to stand behind a courageous student who chose to stand up for her rights.  Our goal was never just justice for one student—it was to make clear that antisemitism has no place in higher education and that Jewish students have the same right to safety and dignity as anyone else.”

This case represents a significant milestone in the fight against antisemitism on college campuses. The Lawfare Project remains steadfast in its mission to protect the civil rights of Jewish students and ensure that educational institutions comply with federal civil rights law.