AMHERST — People for Ethical Treatment of Animals will receive all videos, photos and other documentation associated with experiments involving marmoset monkeys in a University of Massachusetts laboratory, according to a settlement agreement announced Tuesday.

The result of a public records lawsuit filed Sept. 12, 2022 in Suffolk Superior Court, the agreement, signed on April 2 by PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo and Michael Malone, UMass vice chancellor for research and engagement, also calls for UMass to pay PETA $50,000 in legal fees.

In a statement, Guillermo contends that the small monkeys have been harmed in “pointless experiments” in a campus laboratory, and that UMass attempted to shield insights into this research by not complying with the state’s public records law.

“There’s no scientific reason to keep this wasteful, abusive laboratory open another minute; its federal funding should be cut now,” Guillermo said.

A UMass spokesperson said the settlement speaks for itself and that the university would be offering no additional comment.

In the past, the university has offered its support for medical research using animals, due to how this work can save and improve the lives of both people and animals: “Animal research has contributed to many of the medical advances we now know today, including vaccines, antibiotics, anesthesia and medicines used to treat serious conditions Research in the last few decades has also begun to tackle some of the most complex medical problems we face such as heart disease, depression, HIV and cancer. Many key questions in science can only be addressed by studies on animals.”

In addition, UMass has previously said its care for marmoset monkeys meets all federal standards, though a marmoset monkey in UMass custody died in October 2015 when it was burned by a heating pad as it recovered from a vasectomy: “UMass Amherst has a commitment to care for laboratory animals that involves the highest ethical standards and rigorous attention and adherence to all applicable federal and state laws and guidelines.”

But PETA has argued experimenters have screwed electrodes onto marmosets’ skulls, deprived them of water and shoved them into plastic cylinders, and that while the tests study menopause, marmosets don’t experience that. PETA contends at least $6 million in tax support has gone to the research and has asked federal officials to investigate $340,000 spent on a sleep deprivation experiment at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center.

The settlement agreement requires that the lawsuit, filed when UMass didn’t fulfill a request for photos, videos and other documentation, be dismissed with prejudice. That happened Tuesday, with a joint stipulation that “all claims and counterclaims raised in the action shall be dismissed with prejudice without award of costs, fees, or attorneys fees, and with all rights of appeal waived.” That was signed by Mark A. Johnson, associate counsel for UMass, and Alexandra Deal, of Paik Deal, LLP of Boston, representing PETA.

Another aspect of the agreement is that PETA will receive the names of those currently serving on the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. That committee reviews, approves or rejects experiments on animals and is responsible for ensuring adherence to animal protection laws and regulations.

PETA said its scientists and attorneys will review all records as they are released.

PETA has led several actions both on and off campus in recent years, including a brief disruption at the April 2024 inauguration of Chancellor Javier Reyes.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.