Overview
- In a 44-page complaint filed in Massachusetts federal court, the DOJ alleges Harvard was deliberately indifferent to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students in violation of Title VI.
- Prosecutors ask the court to halt more than $2.6 billion in active HHS grants, recoup past federal payments, appoint an independent monitor, and require Harvard to cooperate with police to remove or arrest demonstrators who block access.
- The suit cites incidents including students being spat on, stalked, jeered with “Heil Hitler,” blocked from facilities, and concealing yarmulkes out of fear.
- Harvard denies the allegations, points to policy changes and training to address antisemitism, and vows to fight what it calls a retaliatory action.
- The move follows stalled settlement talks and comes as the government appeals a judge’s ruling that an earlier funding freeze was unlawful, with other schools reaching deals such as Columbia’s $200 million payment and Brown’s $50 million arrangement.