Columbia University janitors settle case after being held hostage by anti-Israel rioters on campus
Share and Follow

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Two Columbia University maintenance staff workers who alleged they were held hostage by anti-Israel protesters during a riot last year and were forced to scrub swastikas have settled a complaint with the Ivy League school.

Lester Wilson and Mario Torres settled with the university for an undisclosed sum, days after Columbia announced a $220 million settlement with the Trump administration for civil rights violations and racially discriminatory practices in an effort to restore federal funding, the New York Post reported.

The settlement included $200 million over discrimination claims and another $20 million to employees who alleged they were victims of civil rights violations. 

Wilson and Torres filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which sparked a civil rights probe into the school.

Maintenance crew confronts protesters

A maintenance crew member confronts demonstrators attempting to barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University April 30, 2024, in New York City.  (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

At one point, Torres reportedly used a fire extinguisher to defend himself and was hit on the back by protesters while Wilson was shoved and had furniture pushed into him. 

“‘I’m going to get twenty guys up here to f— you up’,” one masked rioter who shoved Torres threatened, according to the complaint. 

Both custodians claimed they had sustained physical injuries and PTSD as a result of the Hamilton Hall takeover.

They have returned to work since, a source told the Post. Officers with the New York Police Department eventually cleared the building and made more than 100 arrests. 

Before the riot at Hamilton Hall, Torres was required to scrub swastikas and became upset over the feeling that Columbia failed to take aggressive action against the vandals. 

Pro-Palestinian protesters inside Hamilton Hall

Anti-Israel protesters inside Hamilton Hall.  (NYPD)

“They were so offensive, and Columbia’s inaction was so frustrating, that he eventually began throwing away chalk that had been left in the classrooms so vandals would not have anything to write with,” Torres’ complaint alleged.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Columbia and Torridon Law, the firm founded by former Attorney General William Barr, which represented the two men in their complaint against the school. 

Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report. 

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Hilliard house shooting leaves 3 dead, shooter on life support

Tragic Hilliard House Shooting: Three Dead, Gunman in Critical Condition

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said a five-year-old child ran to a…
Wisconsin student Eliotte Heinz’s autopsy shows no foul play suspected in death: police

Wisconsin student Eliotte Heinz’s autopsy shows no foul play suspected in death: police

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! LA CROSSE, Wis. –…
What's happening in the Ksoo trial on Day 2

Day 2 Updates of the Ksoo Trial

Hakeem Robinson, a Jacksonville rapper known as Ksoo, is on trial for…
Southwest jet abruptly dives to avoid midair collision, passengers say

Southwest Plane Makes Sudden Plunge to Prevent Midair Crash, Passengers Report

Passengers on a Southwest Airlines jet from Burbank to Las Vegas say…
Republicans back Graham, Cornyn’s call for Obama special counsel

Republicans Support Graham and Cornyn’s Request for Special Counsel to Investigate Obama

A handful of Senate Republicans on Thursday offered support for a move…
DailyMail+ unveils its news anchor Power List: Who do viewers hate?

DailyMail+ Reveals Its List of Most and Least Liked News Anchors: Who Isn’t Winning Over Viewers?

For decades, America’s most trusted figures were the men and women delivering…
A Columbia genocide scholar says she may leave over university's new definition of antisemitism

Columbia Genocide Scholar Considers Departure Due to University’s Revised Antisemitism Definition

NEW YORK (AP) — For years, Marianne Hirsch, a prominent genocide scholar…
Trump lands in Scotland trailed by Epstein saga

Trump Arrives in Scotland Amid Ongoing Epstein Controversy

President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday for a five-day visit…