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Time of India
an hour ago
- Business
- Time of India
Columbia University to pay $200m settlement to Trump admin over antisemitism claims, grant freeze lifted
Columbia University: Columbia University has agreed to pay a $200 million settlement to the Trump administration. This resolves allegations that it failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism. The settlement follows the freezing and cancellation of $400 million in federal grants in March 2025. The Trump administration accused Columbia of not doing enough to stop harassment of Jewish and Israeli students. Columbia University to pay $200m in settlement with Trump administration over failure to protect its Jewish students. Columbia will pay the $200 million over three years. It will also pay $21 million to settle investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In return, most of the frozen federal grants will be reinstated. This includes funding from agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services. Columbia will also be allowed to apply for new federal research grants. Claire Shipman, Acting President of Columbia University, called the settlement 'a pivotal advancement.' She said it ends a long period of federal scrutiny and internal uncertainty. While the university denies wrongdoing, it admitted Jewish students and faculty faced painful experiences. Columbia says it is committed to fighting antisemitism and improving campus culture. Columbia University to pay $200M in settlement with Trump admin Columbia also agreed to submit to a federal monitor that will assure compliance with admissions,hiring practices & provide certain information about foreign students to immigration authorities The deal resolves over six ongoing civil rights investigations. It also introduces an independent overseer. This person will monitor Columbia's progress and submit reports to the government every six months. The university will keep control over academic decisions like faculty hiring and admissions. But it has agreed to promote civil discourse and update its policies on antisemitism. I know where my kids WONT be University has agreed to pay $200 million over the next three years to resolve claims it discriminated against Jewish ABC7NY App Columbia is the first university to finalise a monetary settlement with the Trump administration on this issue. This could set a precedent for similar actions at other schools. Harvard University is already in legal talks over possible funding cuts. This agreement follows protests on Columbia's campus in 2024 related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Those events played a key role in the Trump administration's decision to freeze federal grants. Columbia had already responded by adopting a new definition of antisemitism. It also restricted engagement with certain student groups seen as controversial. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.
Axios
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Columbia agrees to pay $200 million fine to settle Trump admin dispute
Columbia University agreed Wednesday to pay a $200 million fine to resolve a Trump administration investigation "into alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws," the college announced. Why it matters: The agreement will see Columbia's federal funding restored. The administration had pulled about $400 million in federal grants and contracts from the university in March, citing the school's alleged "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students." The agreement also calls for the college to pay an additional $21 million to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Zoom in: Under the agreement, "a vast majority" of the federal grants that were terminated or paused in March "will be reinstated and Columbia's access to billions of dollars in current and future grants will be restored," per a post on the school's site. "Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest," said Columbia University's acting president, Claire Shipman in a statement.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Employer settles claims that it refused to promote Black employee, fired her after bias complaint
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: A Maryland retirement community will pay $85,000 to settle U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that it refused to promote a Black manager and subsequently fired her when she complained of discrimination, EEOC said in a press release Tuesday. Per the 2024 complaint, the plaintiff sought promotion to a vice president or executive director position, but was told that she was ineligible because she lacked a bachelor's degree. She alleged Westminster Ingleside King Farm Presbyterian Retirement Communities nonetheless employed a White employee who lacked a bachelor's degree as its VP of HR and promoted another White employee with the same job title as the plaintiff to an executive director role. The plaintiff later received a bachelor's degree, but EEOC claimed her supervisor ignored the plaintiff's promotion request. It also alleged she received a 'false' written warning from HR, after which the plaintiff expressed a desire to file a race discrimination charge. She was terminated shortly afterward. EEOC alleged violations of federal laws including Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. As part of its consent decree with EEOC, the employer did not admit wrongdoing. Dive Insight: The EEOC noted that retaliation — such as that alleged in the Westminster Ingleside lawsuit — is unlawful irrespective of the validity of an employee's claims. Such complaints 'can be early warning signs for employers,' Debra Lawrence, regional attorney at EEOC, said in the press release. 'What employers should never do is treat complaints as the problem or take adverse action against the complainant.' According to agency enforcement guidance, employers may not retaliate against employees for opposing unlawful equal employment opportunity practices. This opposition may include actions such as complaining or threatening to complain about alleged discrimination against oneself or others. Retaliation has formed the basis of previous EEOC settlements with employers, including a 2024 agreement between the agency and an employer that it alleged retaliated against three employees — including an HR manager — for raising concerns about discriminatory workplace treatment. Employers should swiftly and thoroughly investigate employee complaints — with the assistance of an external investigator if necessary, an employment law attorney wrote in an op-ed to HR Dive in March.
Miami Herald
16-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Hispanic officers allege mistreatment in Miami Gardens, call for chief's removal
Five Hispanic male police officers have notified Miami Gardens that they intend to file a class-action whistleblower lawsuit claiming they were the targets of racial discrimination. The Miami Gardens officers — who said they were suspended or demoted after filing complaints of unfair treatment with the city — have also demanded the termination of Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt, named the city's first female Black chief in the largest Black majority city in Florida in 2017. 'The current police chief is out of control in terms of the mistreatment and abuse of officers, in particular Hispanic officers and officers who complain about wrongdoing,' Attorney Michael Pizzi said from a conference room at his Miami Lakes law office Wednesday, four of the five officers at his side. Miami Gardens police officers Juan Gonzalez, Christian Vega, Francisco Mejido, Rudy Hernandez and Sgt. Pedro Valdes all said they were retaliated against by command staff after questioning promotions, discipline and how rules are enforced internally. Federal complaint filed The officers have already filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Under federal law, the EEOC has up to 180 days to conduct an investigation into claims of discrimination or it must issue a notice of right to sue, allowing the officers to seek damages through a lawsuit. A whistleblower lawsuit can be filed in 30 days after giving the city notice. Sgt. Valdes claims he was relieved of duty for six months, forced to sit home 10 hours a day with pay — without any type of explanation. 'I was told, go home. No cause,' Valdes said. 'It's demoralizing because I have family members, including my wife, who's a police officer there. To play with our emotions and mental state for no reason — it's not right.' Miami Gardens Police executive officer Emmanuel Jeanty wouldn't go into detail about the reasons Valdes was relieved of duty, but said it was 'false' that the officer wasn't given a reason. 'He was informed and signed paperwork,' Jeanty said. The city did not comment on the officers' accusations when asked Wednesday. The police department, however, stood behind its decisions involving them. 'As the chief of police, I have every right to make the transfers or demotions that I see fit,' Noel-Pratt said. Miami Gardens, with a population of 110,000, is 71% Black and 26% Hispanic, according to the city's website. The police department's officers, in comparison, are 48% Black and 36% Hispanic as of 2024, according to data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Claims of demotions, harassment, abuse The officers claimed the targeted harassment campaign by the department left them with severe mental and emotional stress, even PTSD. Pizzi noted that some of the officers who served in the U.S. military were shocked and appalled that interactions with fellow officers were where they experienced trauma, not on the battlefield or on the streets fighting crime. Valdes, a 17-year Miami Gardens police veteran, said he was relieved of duty for six months without explanation and was only recently reinstated last week. Valdes said he had led a violent crime unit credited with reducing crime by 14%, only to be abruptly removed and reassigned. He also alleged that the department has systematically replaced experienced Hispanic and white officers with younger Black officers. Officer Francisco Mejido, a 13-year Miami Gardens police veteran, said his K-9 partner was taken away and he was removed from the unit after a minor body camera violation — even though his replacement had the same infraction. 'I had to break that news to my two young kids, to my wife,' Mejido said. 'Ever since then, the agency has come after me with multiple forms of discipline.' He also spoke of a broader issue of inconsistent disciplinary practices and favoritism within the department. Officer Juan Gonzalez, a 12-year Miami Gardens police veteran, described being reprimanded for speaking to other Hispanic officers at a crime scene. 'I was scolded for talking to Hispanic officers on scene,' Gonzalez said. 'I was followed by my supervisor in a threatening manner, in a hostile fighting position, with both fists clenched.' Gonzalez said he was demoted and removed from a federal task force assignment, resulting in a loss of income. The officers say their complaints to internal affairs, the city manager and human resources have been ignored. Now, they're turning to the courts. 'They've all stood up and complained,' Pizzi said. 'And they've all been targeted as a result of their complaints.' Miami Herald staff writer Devoun Cetoute contributed to this report.
New York Post
09-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Utah Bath & Body Works manager says she was fired over company's pronoun policy
A former Bath & Body Works store manager in Layton, Utah, said she was fired after refusing to address a transgender employee by their preferred pronouns. Jocelyn Boden filed a charge of discrimination last week with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was terminated in May from the company she had worked at for three and a half years. Boden, a 'devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,' said in her charge that she was 'chastised and alienated' by co-workers after she was unwilling to address a new transgender employee by their preferred pronouns. Boden said she addressed the biological female co-worker, who identified as male, by their chosen name, but because of her religious convictions, could not address the co-worker by male pronouns. Advertisement 4 A Bath & Body Works manager in Utah was fired after refusing to use a transgender employee's preferred pronouns Getty Images 'Ultimately, team members complained about Ms. Boden's religiously motivated decision to the human resources department,' the filing states. 'This complaint led to an interrogation into Ms. Boden's use of pronouns. Ms. Boden indicated her religious objection to Bath & Body Works' pronoun policy, including during a discussion with her district manager just two days before the district manager terminated Ms. Boden's employment.' Boden was promptly fired after these complaints were filed, without warning and in violation of the company's discipline policy, according to the filing. 4 Boden filed a discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was terminated Christopher Sadowski Advertisement A Bath & Body Works spokesperson told Fox News Digital, 'Bath & Body Works complies with all laws concerning employment practices. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in our management of our associates on the basis of any protected status.' According to documents in the filing, the company discharged Boden for violating their code of conduct, 'which prohibits any unwanted conduct directed at an individual based on their sex, which includes sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or transgender status.' 'Jocelyn admitted to this behavior and shared with multiple parties that she refused to use correct pronouns. As a result of this investigation, and her admittance, we are making the decision to part ways and end their employment effective immediately,' her alleged termination notice states. Advertisement 4 According to the filling, the company discharged Boden for violating their code of conduct Christopher Sadowski The discrimination charge was filed by Texas-based legal group, First Liberty, a group that fights religious liberty cases. First Liberty claims Bath & Body Works' conduct violated Boden's religious rights under Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race and sex. It also alleged the company violated the Utah Anti-discrimination Act when it 'retaliated' against Boden for expressing her religious beliefs, failed to grant her a religious accommodation, perpetuated a 'hostile work environment' and 'wrongfully' terminated her employment. 4 The discrimination charge was filed by Texas-based legal group, First Liberty, a group that fights similar religious liberty cases Getty Images Advertisement 'I believe that using pronouns out of line with this understanding of gender is dishonest,' Boden said in the filing to the EEOC. 'My convictions do not allow me to lie by affirming a reality I believe is false. Therefore, I cannot refer to a female using male pronouns.' Most workplace discrimination claims have to be processed through the EEOC before they can be resolved in court, Stephanie Taub, senior counsel for First Liberty, told CBN News. The EEOC told Fox News Digital it was prohibited by law from commenting on alleged charges filed. Bath & Body Works LLC received a 100% score on providing an inclusive workplace by the Human Rights Campaign in 2025 and was named a leader in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.
