On Tuesday, UCLA was hit with a lawsuit for allegedly not providing records about a prominent “resident activist” who referred to Hamas’ October 7 attack as “justice.”
The Goldwater Institute, which is a conservative nonprofit group, accuses the university of consistently stalling the release of documents related to Lisa Gray Garcia.
As reported, Gray-Garcia previously led UCLA medical students in a chant of “Liberate Palestine” during a mandatory lecture, which reportedly offended many attendees. Some described it as “disgusting.”
The institute requested records on October 31 of last year but claims UCLA continued to ask for more time, stating that locating the records was an “extremely lengthy process.”
Though UCLA had set a deadline of March 13 for the records, that date passed without any updates, according to the complaint from the institute.
The Goldwater Institute requested various documents related to its contract with Gray-Garcia, her compensation details, all course syllabi she developed, course materials, emails regarding specific issues related to Israel and Palestine, and content connected to her upcoming 2024 resident activist orientation.
As a public institution, UCLA is required by the California Public Records Act to respond to such requests in a “reasonable” timeframe.
“California law mandates that a public institution like UCLA cannot withhold public records requested by Goldwater, even if those documents might be embarrassing or controversial,” said Bradley Benbrook, an attorney with Goldwater, in a statement.
“Taxpayers deserve to know what is being taught and how much universities are spending on it,” added Stacey Skunky, the director of litigation at the Goldwater Institute’s American Freedom Network.
“UCLA should have promptly addressed the basic records request from Lisa Gray Garcia related to its operations. Sadly, they have refused to comply with the law,” she concluded.
The Goldwater Institute is pursuing relief that includes a court order to compel UCLA to release the records and to pay for damages and attorney’s fees.
The California Post has contacted UCLA for a response.
