A Black, gay assistant professor of English at UCLA who also is a Shakespearean scholar has tentatively settled his lawsuit against the UC Regents in which he alleged he has experienced harassment, discrimination and retaliation from non-Black department colleagues.
Attorneys for Arthur Little filed court papers Friday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Armen Tamzarian notifying him of a “conditional” settlement in the case with the expectation a request for dismissal will be filed by June 30. No terms were divulged.
In their previous court papers, UC Regents denied Little’s allegations and said he did not suffer any damages as a result of any actions by their client.
“The regents contends it has taken all reasonable steps necessary to prevent race-based harassment, discrimination and retaliation,” the UC Regents stated in their pleadings.
Hired in 1989, Hill made his first complaint of racism in 2001 followed by four others, according to his suit filed in November 2022 when the plaintiff was 60 years old. Hill further alleged one professor opposed a Black job candidate with a background similar to Hill’s, telling the plaintiff that “one Black Shakespeare professor was enough” and recommended the person instead apply in the Black Studies department, according to the suit.
“As a faculty member of nearly 30 years, plaintiff contends that UCLA systematically failed to correct and remedy acts of racial discrimination and harassment, and to maintain a neutral and impartial department to investigate and address complaints of discrimination and harassment,” the suit stated.
A probe of an internal complaint filed by Little in 2019 took three years to complete and while a Discrimination Prevention Office investigator found that it was “more likely than not” that the English Dept. subjected Little to “sufficiently severe” conduct because of his race, the investigator refused to acknowledge racial discrimination within the department, the suit states.
Little, who also alleged he was paid less than non-Black colleagues, contends the work atmosphere at UCLA remains difficult, the suit states.
“The toll that this has taken is profound” the suit stated. “He suffers from symptoms of PTSD and severe anxiety and depression. His conditions are worsened by the repeated barrage of microaggressions and overt racism that he continues to face in the workplace.