UCLA Protester Sues Over Discipline, Alleges Discrimination
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UCLA Protester Sues Over Discipline, Alleges Discrimination
- Dylan Kupsh, a UCLA computer science doctoral student, is suing the University of California, alleging viewpoint discrimination and due process violations in connection with his two-quarter suspension and the withholding of his master's degree for over 600 days.
- Kupsh's lawsuit, filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, stems from his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests at UCLA between June 2024 and May 2025.
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UCLA is facing a lawsuit from graduate student Dylan Kupsh, 27, who alleges that the university’s disciplinary process for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests was discriminatory and violated his due process rights. Kupsh, a computer science doctoral student, is seeking to reverse a two-quarter suspension and compel the release of his master’s degree, which he claims has been withheld for more than 600 days.
The lawsuit provides a rare look into UCLA’s student discipline process, which is typically private. Kupsh’s case originated from a series of protests on campus following the spring 2024 encampment, which saw clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators and led to a Justice Department lawsuit against UCLA alleging antisemitism.
Kupsh initially faced 14 campus citations issued between August 2024 and June 2025, related to five demonstrations from June 2024 to May 2025. The charges included blocking pathways, disrupting campus activities, and defying orders. While he was arrested at a June 2024 demonstration, he was never criminally charged.
Over five hearings conducted between June 2025 and May 2026, UCLA panels dismissed all but two of the citations. The university found him responsible for not showing his student ID and for failing to move out of a walking student’s path at two separate protests. An interim suspension in June 2025 barred Kupsh from campus for 291 days, a ban that was lifted in March 2026.
This is not Kupsh’s first legal challenge related to his activism. In February 2025, he was among approximately 50 pro-Palestinian protesters who demonstrated outside the home of UC Regent Jay Sures. Sures filed a lawsuit seeking a restraining order against Kupsh, alleging he was a “ringleader” of the protest. However, a judge ruled in favor of Kupsh in May 2025, finding that Sures had not substantiated his claims, and in August 2025, Sures was ordered to pay $150,624 in attorneys’ fees to Kupsh.
UCLA has stated it will respond to Kupsh’s current lawsuit in court. Federal privacy laws prevent the university from discussing individual discipline cases.