Nine plaintiffs in a Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit tied to UCLA’s 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment are asking a judge to let them proceed under pseudonyms, according to court papers filed Friday. Their attorneys argue that putting real names on the public record would open plaintiffs and their families up to harassment, doxxing, retaliatory violence and even possible deportation. The state complaint, brought against the UC Regents, alleges civil rights violations and claims that decisions by university officials and security left encampment participants exposed during the spring 2024 protests.
According to MyNewsLA, the plaintiffs’ lawyers have asked Judge Samantha P. Jessner to let nine of the 33 plaintiffs appear in the case as “Roes” and to take up that request at a Sept. 11 hearing. The motion says some plaintiffs fear retaliation that could cost them jobs, visas or scholarships if their identities appear on the court’s public docket. One filing quotes a plaintiff who said he "no longer believes he can rely on the First Amendment to protect his political expression."
Case background
The broader lawsuit was first filed in March 2025 and accuses UCLA, campus police and other agencies of failing to protect students, faculty and visitors during protests and an encampment on Royce Quad, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Plaintiffs are seeking damages and contend that university actions, and at times inaction, left demonstrators vulnerable to violence and wrongful arrests.
Who the plaintiffs say they are
Court docket listings reviewed by legal data services indicate the state complaint names dozens of students, faculty members, journalists and community participants, including Thistle Boosinger and Faraaz Qureshi. Filings state that Boosinger was struck in the hand by a metal rod, and that Qureshi suffered a serious finger injury after being hit by projectiles during clashes on campus.
Why plaintiffs want to stay anonymous
The recent filings spell out a series of specific fears. One plaintiff says having their name in the record could derail future prospects in medicine. An untenured faculty member describes a colleague’s email that labeled them antisemitic. An international student worries that public disclosure could jeopardize both a visa and a scholarship, per MyNewsLA. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that redaction is necessary to shield their clients and families from threats and harassment tied to the highly charged dispute.
Legal context
Under court precedent, judges permit parties to use fictitious names only in unusual cases where withholding a name is deemed necessary to protect someone from harassment or physical harm, according to a federal order that summarizes Ninth Circuit standards. Judges are instructed to balance the public’s interest in open courts against concrete evidence of risks to plaintiffs, and they may use protective orders to limit how much identifying information is disclosed if anonymity is granted.
What happens next
Court records show the case is set for a Sept. 11 hearing before Judge Samantha P. Jessner, where the court is expected to consider the pseudonym request along with scheduling and other pretrial issues. In earlier briefing, attorneys for the UC Regents wrote that UCLA decided to clear the encampment in the interest of campus safety, and the university has maintained that it does not tolerate harassment or discrimination.
If the judge allows the Roes to remain anonymous, their names would be redacted from public filings as the litigation moves through discovery and motion practice. The anonymity fight marks the latest procedural turn in a cluster of state and federal cases that grew out of the spring 2024 protests at UCLA.
