UCLA and Researcher Agree to Settle Wrongful-Termination Lawsuit

The University of California at Los Angeles has reached an agreement with James E. Enstrom, a controversial environmental-health scientist who was laid off in 2012, that will rescind his termination and give him a cash settlement and access to university resources for his research. Mr. Enstrom had alleged in a lawsuit that the university wrongfully terminated him because of his unpopular views about certain air pollutants.

Under the settlement, which was first reported by the campus newspaper, the Daily Bruin, and confirmed by a UCLA spokesman, Mr. Enstrom will be paid $140,000 and will have the title of “retired researcher.”

The UCLA spokesman, Phil Hampton, said in a written statement that the university continued to deny Mr. Enstrom’s allegations but had agreed to the settlement to avoid the costs of a trial. Mr. Enstrom told the Daily Bruin that he was not entirely satisfied with the settlement but thought it was the best compromise possible.