California State University will pay $12 million to settle gender harassment and retaliation claims brought by two former senior administrators at its San Bernardino campus.
The settlement resolves claims 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. It follows a $6 million Los Angeles jury verdict in October 2025 that found CSU liable for retaliating against and harassing Rogers, and for failing to prevent that harassment.
“From the beginning, these cases were about accountability,” said David J. deRubertis, lead trial counsel and founder of The deRubertis Law Firm APC. “Dr. Weber and Dr. 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.”
The deRubertis Law Firm said the settlement is believed to be the largest publicly reported employment discrimination settlement against the CSU system, which is the largest four-year public university system in the United States.
Claims against senior leadership
The lawsuits alleged that CSU leadership, including President Tomas Morales and other senior campus administrators, presided over a hostile environment for women. The plaintiffs said complaints about gender inequity, harassment and retaliation were ignored or punished.
Weber was fired shortly after formally raising concerns about unequal pay between male and female administrators, according to the plaintiffs. Rogers alleged she was forced out after reporting harassment and retaliation to senior CSU executives and to human resources.
Weber is set to retire from CSU after more than 25 years of service with the university system. Her claims had been set for a second trial but were resolved as part of the broader settlement.
Trial testimony on handling of complaints
CSU San Bernardino 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.
“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 Courtney Abrams of Courtney Abrams, PC. “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 second trial, which had been expected to feature testimony from several of the same senior CSU officials who testified in the Rogers trial, was resolved before a trial date was set.
Settlement terms
Under the agreement, CSU will pay $12 million in full and final settlement of all claims. The settlement is a compromise of disputed claims and is not an admission of liability. CSU specifically denies any wrongdoing and entered into the agreement to avoid further litigation costs.
The plaintiffs were represented by:
- Lead trial counsel: David J. deRubertis of The deRubertis Law Firm APC
- Co-counsel: Courtney Abrams of Courtney Abrams, PC
- Co-counsel: Andrew H. Friedman of Helmer Friedman LLP
“These cases highlighted the real human cost of retaliation in academic institutions,” said Andrew H. Friedman of Helmer Friedman LLP. “Meaningful accountability only happens when organizations are willing to confront these problems directly.”
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.
