Believed to be one of the largest employment discrimination settlements against the nation’s largest public university system

LOS ANGELES, May 12, 2026 — California State University will pay $12 million to resolve gender harassment and retaliation claims brought by Helmer Friedman LLP on behalf of two former high-level administrators at Cal State San Bernardino. The settlement follows a landmark $6 million Los Angeles jury verdict in October 2025 that found CSU liable for retaliating against and harassing Dr. Anissa Rogers and failing to prevent that harassment. The settlement is believed to be the largest publicly reported employment discrimination settlement against the CSU system, the nation’s largest four-year public university system.

The litigation unfolded against the backdrop of broader public scrutiny involving CSU’s handling of workplace harassment complaints across multiple campuses. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued throughout the proceedings that the evidence reflected longstanding structural issues within the university system.

The settlement, which was recently finalized, resolves claims brought by Dr. Clare Weber, the former Vice Provost of Academic Affairs at CSU San Bernardino, and Dr. Anissa Rogers, the former Associate Dean at CSU’s Palm Desert campus. A Los Angeles jury previously awarded Rogers $6 million after finding CSU retaliated against her, subjected her to gender harassment, and failed to prevent that harassment in violation of California law.

Weber’s related claims were to be set for a second trial but ultimately resolved as part of the broader settlement agreement.

Lead trial counsel David J. deRubertis of The deRubertis Law Firm APC said the settlement marks the conclusion of years of litigation exposing systemic failures within the nation’s largest public university system.

“From the beginning, these cases were about accountability,” said deRubertis. “Dr. Weber and D. Rogers took enormous professional and personal risks in challenging conduct they believed was unlawful. The result sends a strong message about the importance of protecting employees who speak up about harassment against retaliation.”

“These cases highlighted the real human cost of retaliation in academic institutions,” added Andrew H. Friedman of Helmer Friedman LLP. “Meaningful accountability only happens when organizations are willing to confront these problems directly.”

The lawsuits alleged that CSU leadership, including President Tomas Morales and other senior campus administrators, presided over a hostile environment for women, where complaints regarding gender inequity, harassment, and retaliation were ignored or punished. According to the plaintiffs, Weber was fired shortly after formally raising concerns regarding unequal pay between male and female administrators, while Rogers alleged she was forced out after reporting harassment and retaliation to high-level executives at the CSU and to HR. Weber is set to retire from CSU after more than 25 years of service within the university system.

Trial testimony underscored those failures. CSU San Bernardino’s Provost, Rafik Mohamed, admitted at trial that when faculty brought him allegations of gender harassment by a senior dean, he viewed the complaints as “low-grade bias” and did not report them to Human Resources or Title IX — despite conceding he was a mandated reporter required to do so.

The second trial, which had been expected to feature testimony from several of the same senior CSU officials who testified on behalf of CSU in the Rogers trial, was resolved prior to a trial date being set.

The plaintiffs were represented by Andrew H. Friedman of Helmer Friedman LLP, Courtney Abrams of Courtney Abrams, PC, and David J. deRubertis of The deRubertis Law Firm APC.

This resolution reflects the courage of two women who refused to stay silent and were punished, including being forced out of their jobs, for doing so,” said Abrams. “CSU’s own Provost admitted at trial that he viewed faculty complaints of gender harassment as ‘low-grade bias’ and bypassed Human Resources. That wasn’t a misunderstanding — it was a choice. CSU spent years protecting harassers instead of the women they harmed, and $12 million is the price tag on that cover-up.”

The cases are Weber and Rogers v. Board of Trustees of the California State University, et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. 23STCV05549.