Professor Gordon Klein verus UCLA

Suspended by UCLA for Refusing Race-Based Grading. Awaiting judgement for $19m lawsuit.

Professor Gordon Klein teaches in the Anderson Graduate School of Business at UCLA. In June of 2020, shortly after the death of George Floyd, a student asked Professor Klein to grade Black classmates' final exams differently than other students. He refused and was dismissed from his position. A few weeks later, he was reinstated and is now suing UCLA for the "tortures he endured and also to protect academic freedom."

In March 2024, Professor Gordon Klein's case against the UCLA goes to trial. According to the California Catholic Daily, Professor Klein is demanding "well over $19 million in damages". The Daily also cited that UCLA's lawyers sought to get the case tossed out with a summary judgement. According to The College Fix, Steve Goldberg, Klein's Attourney, the lion’s share of damages are based on the estimated loss of Klein’s expert witness practice income.

Too often, the victims of Cancel Culture wine and resign. We support Professor Klein and we feel that a handful of good fighters like him can turn the tables on the mob of Cancel Culture cowards running our biggest Universities and Corporations.

How did Professor Klein get canceled?

In June 2020, following George Floyd’s murder, a student asked Professor Klein to grade Black classmates’ final exams with more leniency. According to JewishPress.com, he responded as follows.

“Thanks for your suggestion in your email below that I give black students special treatment, given the tragedy in Minnesota. Do you know the names of the classmates that are black? How can I identify them since we’ve been having online classes only? Are there any students that may be of mixed parentage, such as half black-half Asian? What do you suggest I do with respect to them? A full concession or just half? Also, do you have any idea if any students are from Minneapolis? I assume that they probably are especially devastated as well. I am thinking that a white student from there might be possibly even more devastated by this, especially because some might think that they’re racist even if they are not. My TA is from Minneapolis, so if you don’t know, I can probably ask her. Can you guide me on how you think I should achieve a ‘no-harm’ outcome since our sole course grade is from a final exam only? One last thing strikes me: Remember that MLK famously said that people should not be evaluated based on the ‘color of their skin.’ Do you think that your request would run afoul of MLK’s admonition? Thanks, G. Klein.”

Soon after, a petition was circulated garnering 20,000 signatures to have Klein terminated. In addition, Klein received death threats related to his Jewish heritage.

The leadership at the UCLA Anderson Business School caved, and suspended Professor Klein. However, within a few weeks, a groundswell of support caused UCLA to reinstate him.

Professor Klein is suing UCLA and wrote an op-ed in Common Sense to explain why. In the article, he explains that he has suffered emotionally and financially for “refusing to treat black students as lesser than their non-black peers.” He goes on to provide to justify taking legal action, “not only to correct the tortures he had endured but also to protect academic freedom.”

Cancel Comeback supports Professor Gordon Klein and we believe we need more fighters like him if we are going to turn the tide on Cancel Culture.

Who Canceled Professor Gordon Klein?

Antonio Bernardo, pictured above, is the Dean of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He presided over the dismissal of Professor Klein. The defendants in the case brought by Professor Klein include Dean Bernardo, the University of California Regents, and several other individuals who participated in defamation and retalliation.

This article is work-in-progress so you get a chance to help investigate. Here are some questions we are looking to answer.

- Who was the student that wrote to Professor Klein in the first place, then shared his response which became the basis for his dismissal?

- Did Antonio Bernardo make the decision to dismiss Professor Klein alone, or was it voted on by others? Is so, who were the others?

- Who made the decision to reinstate Professor Klein?

If you know the answers, please contact us at info@cancelcomeback.com

Some may ask why we are investigating this case. The answer is simple. Too often, the perpetrators of Cancel Culture lurk in the shadows and are unknown to the public. When they are successful, they receive pats on the backs and promotions from the Woke mob and never have to face their victims. We want to change all that. That is why we shine a light on all the parties involved. If their actions were justified, we may support their decision. If not, then there should be consequences, especially for those who hold positions of authority.

We do not know all the details of this case. However, from what we know, we believe there is a case for disciplinary action against Antonio Bernardo, the Dean of the Anderson Business School, for not protecting the equal treatment of students and caving to the woke mob's request to dismiss Professor Klein.

But if we identify the person who dismissed Professor Klien and are successful in removing them from their positions, aren't we perpetuating Cancel Culture ourselves?

No.

There is a difference between firing a person for incompetence and dismissing a person for treating people equally. The people involved in dismissing Professor Klein refused to defend a basic societal norm which is that people should be treated equally, irrespective of the color of their skin. It is probable that this is enshrined in the rules of UCLA and we would like help finding the specific rule.

Obviously, Dean Bernardo and possibly others in the leadership of UCLA, got scared when they saw the Cancel Culture mob mobilizing, and tried to appease them. We don't need people like that running our Universities. The leadership at the University of California is paid exorbitant sums and benefits from immense privilege. If they are cowards, or incapable of basic critical reasoning, then they should be shown the door.

If some argue that's a form of Cancel Culture, so be it. We are not above fighting fire with fire. We look at this as a war fought on the social and professional battlefield. The best way to limit casualties is to score quick and decisive wins.

One of the differences between us and Cancel Culture is that we are ready to forgive. If it turns out that the people who dismissed Professor Klein are the same as those who resinstated him, then we want to congratulate them for making things right.

What can we do to support Professor Klein?

If you are a looking for an expert witness for a lawsuit, consider hiring Gordon Klein. He is one of the best in the business, having testified in several high-profile cases including Michael Jackson's wrongful death, Apple's acquisition of Beats from Doctor Dre, and the valuation of General Motor's assets following bankruptsy filings. According to Goldberg, “That practice went to ashes right after he was suspended”. Goldberg is an attourney with the law firm Markun, Zusman & Compton.

By hiring Professor Klein, you will be supporting critical thinking and free speech. And you will gain the respect and admiration of tens of millions of Americans, and possibly their business as well. We will promote your company to botto.

If you know of a corporation that passed over Gordon Klein as an expert witness because of his lawsuit with UCLA, we want to know about it too. Please contact us at the email below.

If you are a student, sign up for his classes and be prepared to support him if he is disparaged by other students.

Request that those responsible at UCLA be held accountable for their actions and create policy to ensure it doesn't happen again. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a contact us link on the Anderson School's home page so the best option may be to contact them on X (formerly Twitter) at @UCLAAnderson. We did over a year ago and got no response.

We are looking for somebody to help complete this article. Could that be you?

If so, send an email to info@cancelcomeback.com and take a look at our Join page for details on other ways to help our cause.

Jean-Jacque Assez

Cancel Comeback Contributor