UCLA has been slammed with a lawsuit Tuesday after allegedly withholding records related to one of its “Activists in Residence,” who once called Hamas’ Oct.7 terrorist attack “justice.”
Conservative non-profit Goldwater Institute sued the university after it allegedly repeatedly delayed releasing records pertaining to Lisa Gray-Garcia.
Gray-Garcia once led UCLA medical students in a “Free Palestine” chant at a mandatory lecture, drawing backlash from attendees, according to Fox News. One attendee called it “disgusting.”
The institute asked UCLA for the records on October 31 of last year, and allegedly got multiple responses from the university asking for more time citing the “very time-consuming process” of finding the records.
UCLA set its last deadline for March 13, and the deadline came and went without any correspondence, the institute said in its complaint.
The Goldwater Institute had been seeking records related to contracts with Garcia, any compensation information for her, all course syllabi prepared by her, all course materials, any emails from her regarding certain words concerning Israel and Palestine and all course material related to her 2024 ‘Residence Orientation’ for Activists-in-Residence.”
UCLA, as a public institution, is obligated to provide a response within a “reasonable” amount of time for record requests under the California Public Records Act.
“Under California law, taxpayer-funded institutions like UCLA cannot withhold public records like the ones Goldwater has requested, even if those records include embarrassing or controversial information that the institutions would prefer to keep hidden,” Goldwater attorney Bradley Benbrook told The Post in a statement.
The litigation director of the Goldwater Institute’s American Freedom Network, Stacy Skankey, told The Post in a statement that “taxpayers have a right to know what is being taught and how much a university is paying for it.”
“UCLA should have responded quickly to our basic records request about Lisa Gray-Garcia’s work with the school. Unfortunately, they simply refuse to follow the law,” she added.
Goldwater is seeking relief including a court order to force UCLA to produce the records and to pay for damages and attorney’s fees and costs.
The California Post reached out to UCLA for comment.
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