This post was updated Oct. 25 at 11:36 p.m.
The UC publicized the Trump administration’s settlement demands to UCLA on Friday, abiding by an order from the California Supreme Court.
The California Supreme Court’s decision came after the UC appealed a Wednesday state appellate court ruling in which Carin T. Fujisaki, an acting presiding justice for the First Appellate District, denied an appeal to an Oct. 14 ruling which said the University must publicize the draft proposal by Oct. 24. The UC Office of the President sent a copy of the proposed settlement to the Daily Bruin following the court’s decision Friday.
“As required by the court, the University has released a copy of the proposed settlement agreement sent by the Department of Justice to the University on August 8, 2025,” UCOP spokesperson Omar Rodriguez said in an emailed statement. “UC has been clear it must evaluate its response to the administration’s settlement proposal that, like all settlement communications, is confidential.”
The UCLA Faculty Association and the Council of University of California Faculty Associations filed a lawsuit Sept. 17 to gain access to the settlement proposal – a list of demands which the Trump administration sent Aug. 8 to UCLA in exchange for the $584 million in federal research funding frozen in late July. The plaintiffs filed the suit under the California Public Records Act, which mandates that the government must produce records if requested, with the exception of privacy or public safety concerns.
The proposed settlement demanded UCLA pay $1 billion to regain its research funding and $172 million in a claims fund for those allegedly impacted by violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, according to CNN. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex and national origin.
The settlement’s other demands include UCLA ending gender-affirming care for minors at its medical centers, publicly stating that UCLA does not recognize the identities of transgender people and providing information about staff and employees that is not protected by attorney-client privilege to the federal government, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Rodriguez added in the statement that the University believes the proposed settlement would derail the UC’s mission.
“As stated previously, the proposed $1.2 billion settlement payment alone would derail work that saves lives, grows our economy, and fortifies our national security,” Rodriguez said. “UC remains committed to protecting the mission, governance, and academic freedom of the University.”
A federal judge temporarily restored UCLA’s frozen National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health grants through two temporary injunctions Aug. 12 and Sept. 22, which will hold while another lawsuit – brought by UC researchers – moves through the courts.
[Related: Appeals court affirms UC must release Trump administration settlement by Oct. 24]
Anna Markowitz, the president of the UCLA Faculty Association, said after the Thursday ruling that she believes the University is being coerced by the Trump administration and has not yet figured out how to combat this pressure. She added that she believes seeing the settlement demands will allow faculty to serve as “a backbone” for the UC, helping them to stand up and fight back.
“We’d like to get this to our colleagues, to our students and to California workers as soon as possible,” she said.
Contributing reports from Alexis Muchnik, Daily Bruin staff.
