ADC Sues UCLA for Retaliating Against Ph.D. Student for Pro-Palestine Speech

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 31, 2026

Los Angeles, CA | As reported in the Los Angeles Times, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), with co-counsel Thomas B. Harvey and Ben Ghargozli, filed a lawsuit against UCLA on behalf of Computer Science Ph.D. student Dylan Kupsh, challenging the university’s repeated use of disciplinary proceedings and campus suspensions to retaliate against his constitutionally protected pro-Palestine advocacy.

Kupsh participated in student demonstrations opposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza and calling on UCLA to divest from companies connected to the Israeli military. The lawsuit alleges that UCLA targeted him for protected speech, relying on vague accusations, guilt by association, and evidence that failed to identify any wrongdoing by Kupsh himself.

Over the course of seven separate disciplinary proceedings spanning nearly two years, UCLA brought approximately fourteen charges against Kupsh. The university’s own hearing bodies rejected the overwhelming majority of those allegations for lack of evidence. Despite those findings, UCLA continued pursuing disciplinary action until it ultimately suspended him based on an interpretation of a campus rule that, according to the complaint, did not exist at the time of the alleged conduct.

“This case exemplifies how a university can weaponize its disciplinary process to punish protected viewpoints,” said Jenin Younes, ADC President and National Legal Director. “UCLA decided to retaliate against Mr. Kupsh because it didn’t like his activism, and repeatedly twisted its investigatory and disciplinary processes in order to do so–all the while preventing him from making meaningful progress towards his degree while those proceedings dragged on. When UCLA failed to substantiate its allegations the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth time, it simply kept trying, ultimately suspending him based on allegations that included an unreasonable interpretation of its identification-card rules and claims arising from his use of a protest sign. It’s a Kafkaesque nightmare.”

UCLA’s actions have severe consequences for Kupsh. In June 2025, the university imposed an interim suspension that barred him from campus, classes, and university activities for approximately 291 days while disciplinary proceedings remained pending. UCLA later imposed a two-quarter suspension covering Summer and Fall 2026, costing him his teaching appointment, salary, tuition remission, health insurance, and academic funding just two academic quarters before he was expected to complete a Ph.D. he had spent seven years pursuing.

“For two years, UCLA has retaliated against me for my speech and advocacy in support of Palestine, , issuing charges for violations of non-existent university policy and from pseudonymous sources. University administrators forced me to watch videos showing my pervasive harassment and depicting zionist violence, yet focused their interrogations solely upon me,” said Dylan Kupsh, Plaintiff, “This case represents the first challenge of UCLA’s political repression.”

The lawsuit also alleges UCLA has withheld Kupsh’s earned master’s degree for more than 550 days by “stacking” administrative holds across multiple disciplinary proceedings, allowing the hold to remain in place even after he was cleared of most charges. As a result, Kupsh has been unable to use his earned degree to pursue employment and other academic opportunities.

“A public university cannot punish a student because it disagrees with his political views,” said Malak Afaneh, ADC Staff Attorney. “Rather than protecting Dylan after he became the target of harassment because of his advocacy for Palestinian liberation, UCLA repeatedly pursued him through disciplinary proceedings based on vague allegations, shifting interpretations of its own rules, and the conduct of others. The United States and California Constitutions do not permit a public university to repeatedly reshape its disciplinary process to achieve a predetermined outcome.”

“I’ve represented pro-Palestine organizers and activists almost exclusively for the past two years, and UCLA’s relentless attack on Dylan Kupsh stands out as among the most extreme. UC Regent and Vice Chair of United Talent Agency Jay Sures sued him individually and lost, UCLA forced him to spend countless hours defending the kinds of accusations any judge in America would laugh out of the court room, and now they’re trying to take his job, exclude him from his community, and stop him from finishing his PhD after seven years of dedication,” said civil rights lawyers Thomas Harvey and Ben Gharagozli. “Dylan should be honored by the UC system, along with all the students faculty and community members who courageously demanded that their money not be invested in the weapons used for a genocide in Palestine.”

The suit filed by ADC and co-counsel asks the Court to overturn the challenged disciplinary findings, rescind Kupsh’s suspension, remove the sanctions from his record, restore his academic standing, graduate employment, and enrollment eligibility, confer his earned master’s degree, and prohibit UCLA from imposing discipline based on protected speech, political viewpoint, or association.

The case is Dylan Kupsh v. Regents of the University of California, et al, Case No. 26STCP03255.

Visit adc.org/legal to learn more about ADC’s legal work.

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About ADC

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is the largest Arab American grassroots organization in the United States, founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC’s mission is to defend and promote the human rights, civil rights, and liberties of at least 3.7 million Arab Americans residing in the United States. Through its work, ADC fights discrimination, enhances public understanding of Arab history and culture, and partners with marginalized communities globally to advance social justice.